


A Simple Mission Rebirth

by UknownHero



Category: Highschool DxD (Anime), No More Heroes (Video Games), RWBY
Genre: Accidental Rias Bashing, Action, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon, Blood and Gore, Comedy, Drama, Gen, Mind Rape, No one from RWBY will be in harem, Nudity, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Post-Volume 2 (RWBY), Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2019-03-16 14:27:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 25
Words: 166,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13638132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UknownHero/pseuds/UknownHero
Summary: The mission was simple enough. Travel to the newly discover world of Earth, investigate the strange happenings and stop it while acting like normal Japanese high school girls. Not too complicated right? Well... Turns out, this will be an adventure Team RWBY, Earth and Remnant will never forget."My name is Ruby Rose! And I am a Devil!"Besides, there's no such as simple. Even simple missions can go awry.TV Tropes: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/ASimpleMissionRebirth





	1. A Simple Mission

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee as he waited for Team RWBY's report. He sent them on a mission weeks ago, a few days after the breach of Vale. Of course, a few of them complained, especially Yang Xiao Long. They were still tired from their previous mission with Professor Oobleck but he had informed them that this was a mission they could not refuse.

A whole new world was discovered.

You see, a Schnee Dust Company Ship transporting Dust to Atlas had stumbled upon these continents after making a wrong turn through... _something_. The crew had assumed they had made it to Atlas and started off-loading their cargo until one of the workmen started asking what company they were from. Apparently, they had accidently docked at some place called 'Perth' and were interrupting their work in transporting coal to other countries. All of them which they never heard of. They also noticed the lack of Faunus workers. All of them were human. Anyway, when they realized that this was practically a new world for them, they left and reported their findings. News spread to the other kingdoms and quickly spies, researchers, Huntsmen and Huntresses were quickly sent out to find out everything about what the natives of those continents had called it 'Earth'. So far, they discovered that everyone on Earth had only humans, lacked Auras, or Hunters and even Grimm. They weren't as advanced as Remnant and also lacked any Dust in any shape or form. But Earth was far from peaceful, with wars being fought and terrorist causing havoc all around the Earth. But those paled in comparison to a few places in the world, specifically one series of islands.

A land called Japan.

The reports from there… to say the least, were very outlandish with very few reports matching those situations. One report had aliens being involved and that a very awkward young man would become king of the universe. Then there was the one where there was a boy who would make girls fall in love with him, so he could get back to playing video games. And finally there was a report on, and this is no joke, an incident involving a card game that, for some inexplicable reason, decided the very fate of the world and possibly beyond.

And those were the tame ones. There were a lot worse ones. A lot worse.

So the mission was simple. Team RWBY were tasked to go to Japan and figure out why these strange happenings keep occurring and find a way to stop them while undercover as normal high school students. It seemed easy enough to them.

They were completely and utterly wrong.

"Ozpin, Team RWBY's report has just come in." Goodwitch said as she walked into his office, "And you need to see it." She handed the Headmaster the Team's report. He was surprised to see that it was only one sentence but what the sentence was… well, unbelievable.

"Is this really Team RWBY's report?" Ozpin asked. Glynda nodded. Ozpin sighed as he took another sip of his coffee. He has seen many things in his life, some of those things would've driven a normal man insane but what he had just read just put him in a state of disbelief, "Was there anything else?"

"No. There was nothing else that was sent apart from this picture." Glynda answered as she gave it to him. The Headmaster looked at it before he sighed and looked at her with a serious stare.

"Then how does this explain the death of Team RWBY?"

(A few weeks earlier…)

Kuoh Academy is… a unique school. It used to be an all-girls school before recently becoming co-ed and started accepting male students. The female population far outweighed the male population of the school but they didn't mind it. Actually, 98% of the male population wanted to take advantage of it. You see, before the switch to co-ed, Kuoh Academy was known to have very beautiful girls attending the school and this year's batch of girls was no exception. While a few boys enrolled because they heard Kuoh Academy provided a great education, most of them enrolled for the large selection of boobs available to them.

The place was practically a pervert's heaven.

But to a particular set of girls, they didn't know that. All they knew was that it was a school, their cover story, their mission. These girls were Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long. And today was their first day in Japan and the start of their mission.

"This is it." Ruby said as they walked to the entrance. The entire team was in the school uniform and ready for the day. Although, Ruby was sad that she couldn't wear her cloak with her uniform, "Does everyone remember our objective?"

"Report any strange happenings in the area and figure out the source." The rest of the team answered in unison.

"We've been over it hundreds of times on our way here Ruby." Weiss said, "We're not going to forget."

"And remember, don't blow your cover." Blake reminded everyone before making sure her bow was still hiding her cat ears, "We don't know how everyone on Earth will react if we do."

"Aw, c'mon Blake. Don't you trust us? After everything?" Yang asked in a fake hurt tone.

"I do, it's just that this is serious. If we mess up in any way, we could end up putting Remnant in danger or worse." Blake stated.

"Look, as long as we find out what's happening here and stop it, we'll be home before the Vale Festival starts." Weiss said before turning to Ruby, "What is happening here again?" Ruby quickly pulled out a red iPhone from her pocket and checked the mission brief. They couldn't bring anything from Remnant apart from their weapons and Dust so they left their Scrolls at home. Everything else they needed was provided for the mission.

"Well, it says here that people here have been getting their desires granted by an unknown group and there have been sightings of people with black wings going around." Ruby read out loud, "So our first objective is to ask if people have seen anyone with black wings. Easy."

"Ruby, nothing we do is ever easy." Yang told her younger sister, "Hell, I'm even expecting us to fight something sooner or later."

"Well, whatever it is, expect anything. Keep your eyes peeled and report anything we need to keep an eye on." Blake said before they heard the bell ring, "And don't forget to turn on your translators. We'll meet up after school and discuss our findings."

"Sounds like a plan!" Ruby said, "Okay, it's time for Team RWBY's mission to finally start! LET'S GO!" Ruby declared.

"Ruby, people are staring." Weiss said through gritted teeth. Ruby looked around and saw that everyone was staring at her.

"Uh… gotta go! Bye!" Ruby quickly said as she used her Semblance to dash into the school.

'I'd give it 3 days before our cover's blown.' Weiss thought as she sighed at the flurry of rose petals Ruby had left in her wake before the rest of the team followed their leader inside. They got their schedules and saw that they were in the same classes. They mentally thanked whoever got them enrolled and lied about their ages, getting them all put into the same second year class. They all got to their class and saw that the door was closed, so Weiss knocked on it before going in.

"Um, sorry if we're disturbing the lesson." Weiss apologized in perfect Japanese thanks to her translator around her neck, "We're new and we needed to find out our classes."

"Ah, don't worry. Come in." The teacher said as the team walked in. They could hear their classmates whispering to each other.

"Whoa, who are they?"

"Are they the new girls?"

"The one with grey eyes looks a bit young don't you think?"

"Look at the rack of the blonde."

"What's with her scar? And did she dye her hair? In wonder if it's white down there."

"The chick with black hair kinda reminds me of my cat. She humps the couch constantly."

"Alright! Settle down and let our new students introduce themselves." The teacher told the class, getting them to quiet down and let the girls speak. Ruby decided to introduce herself first,

"Hi! My name's Ruby Rose. It's nice to meet you all and I uh…" Ruby paused to think of something interesting about her that would blow her cover before remembering what she brought with her to Japan, "Have a dog named Zwei. Also, I'm older than I look." She guessed that would do and let Weiss go up next,

"My name is Weiss Schnee." Weiss said as she curtsied, "I hope we'll be acquainted with each other very soon and enjoy our time here."

"Blake Belladonna." The Faunus simply said as she let Yang have her turn.

"And I'm Yang Xiao Long, and I'm Ruby's older half sister so try anything funny and I'll beat the living crap out of you!" Yang said a little too happily.

"Okay. There are a few seats available at the back and one next to uh… Issei." At that moment, the entire gasped, but for different reasons. The guys gasped because Issei was going to sit next to one of the new girls and were jealous of him while the girls didn't want someone from their fellow gender to fall into the grasp of one of the Perverted Trio,

"Uh… I don't like those looks." Ruby whispered.

"Well, if it has to do with this Issei I say we ha-" Weiss then noticed that her teammates were already sitting in their seats at the back, leaving Weiss with the seat next to Issei.

'TRAITORS!' Weiss mentally shouted as she glared at them as she went into her seat. The teacher then started the lesson, which devolved to a series of blahs as the RWBYs tuned out of it. Weiss noted that the guys of the class were glaring at Issei, with two other guys glaring at him the hardest. The girls were shooting him looks of disgust alongside their glares. She wondered why all the looks before she saw a note placed on her desk. She raised an eyebrow before opening it up and reading it.

_Stay away from him. He's part of the Perverted Trio. Shield your breasts.  
-A victim of his perversion_

Weiss' eye twitched before glaring at the pervert. She figured that he was a Peeping Tom and would stare at women while they're in the bathroom. And she also guessed the two boys glaring at Issei the hardest were his friends who probably tagged along. She decided to give a stern lecture to him and if that didn't work, tell Yang and sic her on him,

"Psst! You, can we talk?" Weiss whispered. The boy's eyes widened as soon as he figured out the new girl was asking for him and wasn't going to try and kill him or, at worst, destroy any chance of him having children.

'My friends are going to be so jealous!' He thought he turned to the Undercover Huntress, "Yes, what is it?"

"Are you or are you not a Peeping Tom?"

"Pfft! No!" He said, surprising Weiss, "I am not some lowly Peeping Tom. My attraction for girls and their boobs go far beyond that. No, I will not be just some pervert who would only look at women through holes in walls, despite how great it is. No, since the day I was born I was chosen by fate to build the greatest harem anyone has ever seen! I may not look much but women will bow to me as I will be the Harem King!" He loudly declared as they entire class stared at him in jealousy, disgust or anger.

'This is going to be a long mission.' The RWBYs thought.

(After School)

"Okay, what do we know?" Ruby said as everyone sat down. They were provided an apartment to live IN and it was good enough for them. Had a bedroom with bunk beds, a bathroom, a living room with a TV and table and a kitchen. Nothing to arouse suspicion as long as they were careful and kept their weapons hidden, "Weiss, you go first."

"Alright. Well, from what I've gathered today no one knew about those people with black wings but I did find some information about the school. For example, the school used to be an all-girl school, explaining the larger population of girls. I also found out that someone name Souna Shitori is the school council president. Anyone else have luck finding out about these black-winged people?" Everyone shook their heads.

"So, we have nothing but information on the school." Yang said as she rubbed forehead in frustration, "Well, at least we should see what we do know about Kuoh Academy. Blake?"

"Well, I discovered that there are a lot of titles given out in this school. First is the Perverted Trio consisting of Issei Hyoudou, Motohama and Matsuda. They're all perverted in their own way, and I even saw them peeping on the Kendo Club just as we were going home."

"Did you do anything about it?" Weiss asked.

"No, the club found out soon after and chased them out of the school. Anyway, there are two girls known as the Two Great Ladies. From what I heard their names are Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima. I saw them today and I have to admit they are certainly deserving of the title. Then there's the school's mascot Koneko Toujou, a first year student. I don't have much on her and from what I've been told she isn't much of a talker either. And lastly, there's Kiba Yuuto, also known as the Prince of Kuoh Academy. He's adored by every female student in the school, but every male student hates his guts. But here's something I found strange."

"What is it?" Yang asked.

"Well, apart from Souna Shitori and the Perverted Trio they're all in some club called the Occult Research Club."

"Wait, you mean like… devil worship and satanic rituals?" Ruby said, rather surprised the school even let that club exist, "Why would the most popular students in school even study that stuff? No, why would  _any_ student study that stuff?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Blake muttered as she closed her eyes to think.

"Maybe they're connected to those people with black wings." Yang guessed, "We should keep an eye on them."

"Okay, so we have to keep track of the Occult Research Club. Blake, do you think we can join it?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know but I'll try and see if we can sign up for it."

"Does anyone else have information?" Ruby asked. Everyone shook their heads, "Yang?"

"Nothing interesting." The Blonde Brawler answered.

"Alright." Then, as if on cue, everyone's stomachs started growling, "Next order of business, let's go out to eat."

(Meanwhile…)

"So, do you have any information about the new girls?" Rias asked Akeno. Currently, they were playing chess in their clubroom and so far it was an even match,

"Ara ara, be patient my Buchou. I haven't gathered enough information on them yet since it is their first day but from what I can tell they certainly are potential candidates for the peerage." Her Queen said as she moved her Bishop, "Check." Rias glared at her before moving her King, "So, what pieces will you use on them?"

"I'm not sure. Like you said, it's their first day in Kuoh Academy and we don't know anything about them yet. I don't want to use Evil Pieces that wouldn't compliment their styles." After she said that, she noticed Akeno had used her Knight to take out a Pawn. She quickly countered by taking out one of Akeno's Pawn with her Rook, "Maybe we should have Kiba get the necessary information on them."

"Buchou, there's something else I need to tell you." Akeno said in a serious tone, "I've found all of them asking about people with black wings." Rias narrowed her eyes as soon as she heard this,

"You don't mean…?"

"Most likely. They know about Fallen Angels." Rias stopped playing chess for a moment to think about her next move, both in the game and what she should do. She closed her eyes before moving a Pawn to take out Akeno's Rook,

"They may looking into something they may not be ready to face." Rias muttered to herself, "Akeno, I want you to follow the new girls tomorrow and see what they do."

"What about my other duties?" Akeno asked as she moved her Queen away from Ria's Knight,

"I'll take care of it myself. Just make sure you're not spotted and make sure they don't encounter a Fallen Angel." Rias then smirked, "If all goes to plan, I'll be getting five new members of my peerage and then we can stop my engagement." She then moved her Pawn to trap Akeno's King, "Checkmate." Akeno sighed as she saw there was no way her King could get out of the trap Rias had set.

"Okay Buchou. Anything else?"

"Yes." She then gave her Queen a serious look, "Make sure they have our fliers before they die."


	2. A Simple Date

It had been two weeks since Team RWBY had arrived in Japan but they still had no leads in their investigation. Asking around Kuoh Academy was basically a waste of time with no information on anything remotely out of the ordinary being brought up. They tried gathering information in the city over the weekend but that was also a waste of effort and caused a lot of people to think they were slightly crazy. Maybe they weren't checking in the right spots but either way, they were ready to write their report and head back to Remnant. Yang had already gotten a head start on the report actually. She felt confident that it perfectly described what had happened during their time on Earth.

_We have nothing. This mission sucked. I hate sushi. End report._

Of course, she wasn't going to send it in…yet, until she had Blake or Weiss edit it along with Ruby's approval. Anyway, the team was planning to head back to Remnant at the end of the week and had officially given up on finding out any new information. Like they were going to use anything they learned from Kuoh Academy when they got back to Beacon anyway and any other information they found out was useless. The girls thought it was going to be another uneventful week until something very interesting happened…

"C-Can you repeat that?" Weiss asked as everyone stared at Blake in disbelief. The Faunus shook her head and sighed. She couldn't believe it herself.

"Today, I saw a girl, for some  _ungodly_ reason, asked Issei to go on a date with her." Blake said again, for what felt like the twentieth time in an hour. It wasn't like they hated the guy, but they definitely didn't see him as boyfriend material in the slightest. Hell, they even thought he couldn't get near a girl without getting beaten up or pepper sprayed.

"Why are you telling us this Blake? I know you're not the gossiping type." Yang said.

"Yang, we've been here for weeks and we haven't found anything that relates to our mission in the slightest. Everything we've learned so far is worthless and frankly, I'm bored." Blake admitted as she rested her chin in the palm of her hand. The others admitted that they were bored as well, "This is the only thing worth mentioning today and I don't think Professor Ozpin is interested in finding out that pervert somehow got himself a girlfriend."

"Do you have any idea who this girl is?" Weiss asked.

"No. She didn't have the same uniform and I didn't even catch her name. She just came up and asked him. It's like she appeared out of nowhere." Blake then frowned a little, "And I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling about her. I can't explain it, I just… do."

"It is rather strange…" Weiss muttered to herself, "Are you sure she asked him out on a date?"

"Well, after she asked him, Issei jumped around like an idiot, thanked God, grabbed her and brought her to his friends, where he proceeded to and brag to them that he got a girlfriend before them." Blake deadpanned, "Which made them cry. So yes, I'm sure she asked him out."

"When are we going to leave already!?" Yang whined as she leaned back on her chair, "This has literally been the most boring thing we've done since we've got to Beacon ever! We're in practically a different world for God's sake and all we've done was find out how boring this place is!"

"Quit whining." Weiss growled at the blonde, "At least there isn't any Grimm here to endanger the people here. Anyway, we're leaving on Saturday remember?"

"It feels like forever away!"

"It's in four days!"

"Well, it feels like a year to me!" As Yang and Weiss continued to bicker, Blake noticed that Ruby hasn't said a word since they got to the apartment.

"Ruby, why are you so quiet?" The Faunus asked.

"I'm thinking." Ruby answered as she frowned a little, "Hey Blake, when's the date?"

"Um… tomorrow after school from what I heard. Wait, why?" Ruby only grinned at her teammate in response.

(The Next Day!)

"Why are we doing this?" Weiss groaned over the phone as peeked around a corner.

"A better question is why did you agree to it?" Yang pointed out as she looked in the refection of a window.

"Tell me again why we're doing this?" Blake asked as she looked at Issei, who was waiting for his lovely Yuuma-chan, from afar and behind a bush.

"We're making sure Issei doesn't do anything funny to this girl. Plus, this great training for stealth. Also, I kinda wanna explore the city a bit more." Ruby answered as she made sure her disguise was hiding her identity properly, consisting of a dark red trench coat and a black baseball cap. Though she did hide her normal battle dress underneath it all. Right now, they were waiting for Issei's date to arrive and she was a few minutes behind schedule.

"And why did you make us bring our weapons?" Weiss questioned.

"Uh… bad guys?" Ruby said weakly with a bit of nervousness. Weiss could only sigh and shake her head. These were one of those times she questioned why Ruby was the leader of the team.

"Ruby, I see the girl coming in at 7 o'clock." Blake said.

"Everyone! Positions now!" Weiss then shook her head again and remembered why Ruby was the leader. They quickly went into position specified by Ruby and made sure to surround their targets, standing far away enough not to around suspicion but close enough just in case Issei decided to cop a feel.

'I swear, next time we come to Japan, it better not involve stalking.' Weiss thought as she hid within the crowd. Everyone kept their heads down to hide their faces as they followed the couple to a café. Blake went in and got a drink before she went to eavesdrop on them. They talked about random things, and Blake found out that the girls name was Yuuma but other than that nothing really interesting happened. The girls couldn't believe that so far the date was going pretty well. It looked like they were both having fun and Issei wasn't even looking at her breasts… most of the time. They caught him a few times but it was nothing to be alarmed about. Next, they went to see a movie which Yang followed them into without even thinking. By the time they left, Yuuma was hugging Issei's arm lovingly while Yang looked disgusted, scared and slightly aroused all at the same time. After that, they went shopping.

"Weiss, what are they doing? I can't see them from where I am." Ruby asked.

"They're just in a jewelry shop and looking at stuff." Weiss replied, "Ruby, the date's going fine and they haven't even noticed us yet. Maybe we should head back and start preparing for Saturday." Although she didn't admit it, the young red leader knew that her partner was right. Issei had done nothing wrong and was actually being a good boyfriend. Maybe it was time to call it off.

"Girls, I think…" Ruby started before she saw something rather interesting. It was a shop, but it wasn't like every other shop in the district. The shop was rustic and rather old, in contrast with the shops it tucked in between, which were very bright and colourful. She looked inside and saw that it had no lighting. But from what she could see was a lot of empty shelves, though she could still see that there were a few things still on a few of the shelves in there. And from what she could tell, each item was unique and handcrafted from the very wood the floor was made out of. Ruby looked up and saw what the place was called.

**Valefor's  
The Unique Antique Shop**

"Uh… I think I have to call you guys back. I-I need to see something." Ruby said before she hung up on her team. She was curious about what kind of antiques this shop sold and she didn't want to leave Japan empty handed. Ozpin did say that they were allowed to bring one item each after all. She went in and looked around. She didn't know how but the place looked even older inside than outside. Although surprisingly clean, it had a sense of… ancientness. Like the very few antiques there were over hundreds, thousands of years old with millions of stories to tell. But it also had a slightly creepy tone to everything, which made Ruby feel uncomfortable, "U-Um, hello? Is anyone here? Is this shop open?"

"HUH!? WHAT THE HELL!?" An elderly voice exclaimed before Ruby heard a lot of crashing coming from the back of the shop before an old man popped up from behind the counter, "Ah! Sorry, hello! Welcome to Valefor's! How may I help you miss?" Ruby couldn't help but swear to God that she has seen this guy before. She couldn't remember where exactly but she has seen him at least once, but she put that back in her mind for now.

"Um, yes, you see I'm… a tourist from… A-Americanada and I want to buy something to bring back with me." Ruby lied, very poorly at that.

"What, you mean like America or Canada?" The shopkeeper asked. Ruby had no idea what those two were and was now regretting not studying up on Earth before leaving.

"Guh… w-w-well, it's the… the red one… wi-with the fl-flag and… things on it… I guess?" She was so dead, and Weiss was probably gonna kill her soon after.

"…Okay!" The Valefor's shopkeeper said happily. Ruby was now seriously questioning the intelligence of Earth, "Well, I have the perfect gift. Wait a moment please." He then ducked down behind the counter before Ruby started hearing a lot of metal and various other materials getting knocked around. She was about to look over the counter to see what was happening when the old man popped up again, causing her to jump back, "Here you go miss." He said as he gave the young girl a dark wooden box with a handle and a chessboard pattern on it, "A chess set made in 1591, used by Oda Nobuna herself during the unification of Japan. Found this for cheap and in great condition." Ruby had no idea who this 'Nobuna' was but this chess set looked amazing. Ruby opened up the box and saw the chess pieces within. What caused some confusion however was that the black pieces were made out of wood and had a subtle tint of red to it and the white pieces were made out of cheap plastic. She also noted that there was a folded piece of paper in it, which she assumed was the instructions on how to play chess, and a rather strange circular symbol drawn inside the box. It also had a slight red tint to it.

"This is perfect, but who is Oda Nobuna? I never heard of her before." Ruby had to ask.

"Well, let's just say she was great king." The old man answered with a smile.

"'A great king'…" Ruby muttered to herself before she realized something, "Wait, huh? I thought-"

"Do you wish to buy this? This chess set is yours for only 17,867 Yen."

"HUH!?" Ruby exclaimed, "But I don't-" Ruby then paused in thought. She did quick math on her phone and figured out that 1 Lien would equal 119.11 Yen, meaning that it would only cost 150 Lien and in her wallet was… you know what, let's just say she had enough money for the chess set, "Here you go. Thank you." Ruby said as she gave the money, grabbed the chess set and left the shop. Just as she went outside, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. It was a text from Yang.

_ruby issei is heading 2 the park now where r u_

Ruby quickly texted that she was coming before using her Semblance to get to her teammates as quickly as possible. But, if she had taken three seconds to look behind her, she would see Valefor's had completely vanished.

(The Park)

It has been the best day in Issei short but mostly wonderful life. The date he had planned to the last detail had went off without a hitch and he had a lot of fun, and it looked like Yuuma-chan did too. He had absolutely no idea who this girl was before the date, but he didn't care. God had sent him an angel that would love him until the world ended. He may have had a little bit of bad luck with women (okay, maybe a  _lot_ of bad luck) but now he was given the chance, his dreams were coming true. He might finally be able to build the harem he always wanted. Anyway, the sun was setting as they got to the park, signaling that their date was going to end soon. Issei knew from various types of media that this was the perfect scene for the Goodbye Kiss, sealing their relationship. It would also be his first kiss ever and that what made the prospect of it even that much sweeter.

"Hey, Issei-kun?" Yuuma spoke up, snapping him out of his thoughts,

"What is it, Yuuma-chan?" He replied, hope filling his voice as he knew where this might be going.

"Can I ask you a question?" Issei smiled as he knew what she was going to ask him.

'Finally! The moment has arrived!' He thought, 'The Goodbye Kiss in the park after sunset on the first date!' "Su-Sure, what is it?" He asked as he rubbed the back of his head. She turned to him as she gave him her brightest smile.

"Would you die for me?"

Suddenly, there was a record scratch as everyone processed that little sentence while Raynare smile happily at the pervert.

He had completely forgotten about the Goodbye Kiss and was just thinking about what Yuuma meant. 1) Yuuma had just asked him was just a different way of asking if he would do anything for her, 2) She was a top secret agent recruiting for some awesome secret mission that end up with him in her pants or 3) She was really going to kill him.

He really hoped it wasn't that last one.

"E-Eh…? Um, sorry, could you repeat that?" Issei asked nervously.

"Would you die for me?" She had asked again, except this time her voice changed into something more evil, as her once bright smiled turned into a sadistic grin as she revealed her pitch black wings while right hand glowed, "These past couple of hours I spent with you, were a lot of fun." She said as a spear of light formed in her hand,

'What the Hell is going on!?' Issei thought. His mind was screaming at him to run but his body wouldn't move. This was it. Today was the day he was going to die.

Well, he would be thinking that if she wasn't interrupted by a flying locker smashing into her face.

Raynare was smashed into the ground, leaving a small crater as the rocket locker proceeded to keep going until it ran out of fuel. Suddenly, the locker door popped open before it fired out a red, rather strange-looking gun before being caught in midair by a certain Huntress-in-Training. Ruby landed in front of the pervert in a three-point pose and twirled it around as it transformed from its neutral form into its scythe form before stabbing it into the ground.

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked as she helped Issei up, who was utterly speechless at her entrance, so all he could do was nod, "Issei, I know you are in shock but you need to get out of here now. I'll explain everything tomorrow but right now you need to run."

"I thought you had Crescent Rose with you." Weiss said as everyone else walked up to the two.

"I… sorta forgot to bring her with me." Ruby admitted as she rubbed the back of her head while her partner just shook her head, "Sorry, but in the end it worked out and now we might have a lead on what's going on."

"Ruby, you really need to be prepared for anything." Blake told her leader in a stern voice, "And you do know that she might be dead, right?"

"And that Beacon has to pay for the hole in roof right?" Weiss added.

"She can grow wings and make spears from out of nowhere. I'm sure she'll survive a rocket locker to the head." Yang tried to reason with her teammates, "By the way, that was awesome. Plus, she was going to kill Issei here." Blake was about to go further but was interrupted when they heard something from behind them. When they looked, they saw Raynare had moved Ruby's locker off of her, stand up and was preparing to throw a light spear at them, "…I told you."

"Move!" Ruby shouted as she everyone jumped out of the way of Raynare's spear, "Issei, run! Guys!"

"We know!" Yang shouted as she they all pulled out their phones as Issei proceeded to do what Ruby just said.

"Oh no, that is not happening again." Raynare growled before she flew off the ground just in time to dodge two more rocket-propelled lockers aimed where she just was, 'Where do they get all thi-' Her thoughts were then interrupted by one more locker to the face. By now Raynare was a complete wreck. When she recovered, they all saw how horrible she looked. Her clothes were ruined and her once angelic face was now swelling a little bit and covered in bruises, "You know something, I've known since the beginning you were following me and I was going to make your deaths quick and painless. But now, I have no choice." She said as she formed a spear in each hand. The RWBYs looked at each other before they all equipped their weapons.

"Tell us, why do you want to kill Issei? Why out of all people him?" Yang had to ask as she cocked her shot-gauntlets.

"You humans won't understand. He cannot live any longer!" Raynare answered before jumping up and throwing her light spears at them. They moved out of the way before they launched a counter attack. Yang went to punch her in the gut while Blake tried to get her from behind but she flew up just in time before she could get hit, while Yang & Blake just barely missed each other.

"Weiss!" Ruby called out as she ran towards the flying black winged girl. Weiss quickly casted a glyph right under Ruby, which launched her high into the air. Raynare quickly made a new light spear before deflecting a slice from Ruby with it before kicking the red leader away and managing to slice her in the shoulder. Ruby did a roll before she hit the ground to minimize the damage but that kick had slightly knocked the wind out of her and she could feel blood running down her arm, 'What the… why isn't my Aura protecting me?' Ruby thought before shaking her head and getting up. Yang ran to see if her sister was okay, only to see her recover from the blow quickly, transform Crescent Rose into its sniper form and start shooting at the Fallen Angel, "Girls, watch out for her spears! Our Aura won't protect us from them!" The others quickly nodded in response before following suit as they started using their guns as well, except for Weiss who was shooting ice at her in hopes of freezing her wings. Raynare was having some real difficulty dodging everything before having to duck under something that was about to hit her in the back of her head. She quickly threw a few light spears just so they would stop shooting at her before she went to see who tried to nail her, only for her to smirk evilly at the sight.

Standing there was Issei, holding a rock in his left hand and a branch in his right.

"Issei! I thought I told you run!" Ruby exclaimed. Issei knew he should've, but he also knew that he couldn't. They, a group of very attractive girls that barely spoke to him, were fighting Yuuma to protect him, a normal guy who really loves boobs. So like Hell he was going to leave them alone to fight his murderous date, even though they were better equipped, a lot more skilled and all he had was a big stick (Bow chicka bow wow).

Okay, on second thought, maybe he should've run away. But he was here now, and he was scared shitless.

"Well, look who's back?" Raynare said as she grinned evily. Issei politely responded by throwing another rock at her. Raynare just tilted her head out of the way of the rock before flying towards her target. Issei panicked as he feebly tried to shield himself with his stick when Yang ran in front of him before delivering Raynare what can only be described as a Shoryuken.

"Th-Thanks." Issei said, "And that was an awesome Shoryuken."

"Shor-what?" Yang asked with a confused look on her face before everyone heard clapping from near-by. They looked around for a few seconds only to find that it was another Fallen Angel that had been clapping. She was blonde with blue eyes and wearing Gothic Lolita outfit.

"Hey, why are you taking so long? Have you killed that guy yet!?" The Lolita, Mitteit, called out.

"Does it  **LOOK LIKE I KILLED HIM YET**!?" Raynare shouted at her fellow Fallen Angel as she pointed at her target, "I GOT HIT WITH FLYING LOCKERS AND THEY ALL HAVE FUCKING SACRED GEARS!"

"So I'm assuming that's a 'no'." Mitteit said before giggling, "Well, lucky for you, I called in a few favours." And with that, she snapped her fingers as a couple dozen Fallen Angels flew in behind her, "Should this be enough to kill these humans?" Raynare just nodded as all the Fallen Angels started making light spears in each hand, "Good. Now surround them." The Fallen Angel Army nodded as they surrounded Team RWBY and Issei, "Now, we're giving you one last chance. Let us kill the boy and we'll make sure you won't feel a thing." The team and Issei had their backs against each other as they aim their weapons at the Fallen Angels. It looked really bad for them but the RWBYs told themselves they could do this. So what if they were outnumbered? They were Huntresses, heroes in their world and like Hell they were going to fall today.

And even if they were going to die, they weren't going down without taking a lot of people with them.

Ruby looked at her team as they nodded as they got themselves ready.

"NO WAY IN HELL!" They shouted before they all charged at the army. Blake was the first to go down, with one of the Fallen Angels snapping her neck while the others stabbed her with their light spears, but had managed to kill at least 13 of them. Next was Weiss, who ran out of Dust and was overwhelmed, had killed 10 before succumbing to her injuries. Yang was the next to go, but had the biggest kill count with 25, five of them she killed while her intestines were being spill all over the ground. Ruby was the last one to survive out of her whole team. She managed to kill 12 before getting herself stabbed in the stomach to protect Issei, who didn't kill anyone but did help them by distracting a few of the Fallen Angels and stunning them by kicking them in the balls, something he swore never to do due to the Gentlemen's Code, if they had them.

Ruby, barely holding onto the last shreds of her life, saw Raynare walk up to her and tilted her head so she could look at her.

"You should've stayed out of the way and maybe I would've let you and your friends live." Ruby only spat her blood in the Fallen Angel's face in response. Raynare retorted by stabbing her straight through her abdomen, "Now stay here while I take care of something." Raynare told the girl in red before throwing her to the ground as she went to look at Issei, "Now where were we, darling?"

**_BANG_ **

The Fallen Angel had barely dodged the bullet before she looked to see that Issei had picked up Crescent Rose and fired it at her. Sure, he may had banged his head on it due to not being used to the Sniper-Scythe's recoil, as well as dislocating his arms, was incredibly injured and was horribly outnumbered but he wasn't going to die without one last stand.

"I-Is-Issei…" Ruby said weakly as she used all her strength to stand up while trying to pull out the spear in her gut, "Please."

"You should've listened to her." Raynare said as she landed behind the pervert. Before he could even react, she stabbed him right through his back and out his chest. Blood started dripping out of his mouth as soon as the spear vanished, "Sorry about this, but since you're a potential risk, I had to take care of you sooner or later."

'What is she talking about?' Both Ruby & Issei thought before they collapsed, unable to stand up anymore.

"If you want to someone blame, blame God. He put those Sacred Gears into your bodies." And with that, she walked away, leaving everyone to die.

'I-I'm going to die.' Ruby thought as it hit her, 'Yang, Weiss, Blake, we're going to die.' She managed to move her head so she could look up at the sky, "No. I don't wanna *cough* I wanna…" Ruby managed to say as tears ran down her face, realizing that she had a lot of things left to live for, and how everyone would react as soon as they heard, 'Anyone… please… don't…'

"Please, don't let my friends die…" Finally, after a few more seconds, she closed her eyes and let herself go. There was a few seconds of silence as the now dead teens laid there, no life in their bodies. After that a strange looking symbol appeared on the ground between Issei and Ruby.

"...Such a shame..." Rias muttered as she looked at the scene. She had to feel sorry for whoever had to clean this up. She looked down and saw Ruby and Issei's bodies, "Ah, so it's you two." She whispered before looking at Ruby's body, "Hm, your friends shouldn't be far behind if I'm right." Rias looked around and found the other bodies and placed them near Ruby's. She had to admit, she was expecting for them to die ever since they came to Kuoh, but it was still a bit of a shame. Anyway, after she revived Issei, she looked at the four girls and their equipment. They have been spying on them for weeks to figure what piece she should use on them, but they couldn't gather enough information to make sure the pieces she uses on them would play to their strengths. For example, Kiba had seen Ruby use her Semblance, which she suspected to be a different form of a Sacred Gear, so she considered giving her the last Knight piece. But, now that she saw their weapons, she was also considering giving it to Blake or Weiss. Ruby could've been a Pawn, but since Issei used them all up she couldn't. Yang was definitely a Rook for sure, so there was that, "Didn't expect this to happen… maybe I should've watched over them..." Rias muttered to herself before she spotted Ruby's chess set. She raised one of her eyebrows before bent down to pick it up.

"A Gremory, presume?" A voice behind her said. She tensed a little before she revealed her wings to whoever was behind her, "I am not here to fight Gremory-san." She frowned a little, still suspicious of the person, before turned around to see an elderly man; the same one Ruby brought the chess set from.

"How do you know about me?" Rias asked as she made sure to keep an eye on him at all times.

"Look inside." Rias, without tearing her gaze from the old man, opened the chess set and glanced inside. It took Rias a few seconds to realize what she had just saw and looked inside the box again to confirm it.

The symbol inside the box was that of the Valefor family, one of the 72 Pillar Families, who were suppose to be extinct. And not only did the box contain a Summoning Contract Flier for them, but also a complete set of Evil Pieces.

"Why are you here?" Rias asked, her face still frowning, "And why does she have this?"

"I've been observing them for quite a while now, and I believe they could revive what was once a lost cause." He answered cryptically as he got took the chess set from her and pulled out a Rook, a Bishop and a Knight, "There is more to their world than they realize and it is time to see the darkness that lies underneath the veil."

"'Their world'?" Rias repeated, "What do you mean by that?"

"You will have to ask them yourself as they only know." He then placed the Rook piece on Yang's chest, "I, Rojin Valefor, command you, Yang Xiao Long, to live under the name of the King! Rise, and be reborn as a Rook!" Suddenly, the Valefor family symbol appeared underneath the blonde as the Rook slowly sank into her body. He repeated it with Blake & Weiss, with Blake getting the Knight Piece and Weiss getting the Bishop.

"Are you trying to revive the Valefor family by making these girls a part of your peerage?" Rias said as she glared at him.

"No." He said before place a hand on his chest. A red glow emitted from it before it faded. He opened his hand to make sure it was there before going to Ruby and placed the chess piece on her, "I, Rojin Valefor, has decided that you, Ruby Rose, are worthy of the power that has been wasted by me. So, from this day forth, you are a devil. A King! Rise, my child and lead your new peerage into an age of greatness!" Rias couldn't believe her eyes as the Valefor symbol that had appeared underneath Ruby started to change into a rose while Ruby herself was changing. After the ritual was over, Ruby's hair had grown to about Rias' length and looked generally older, maybe aging by one or two years at most. Rias had never seen or even heard of this happening, but she also hasn't heard of someone giving up their peerage willingly and reviving a human as a King as well. After the former King left, Rias was deep in thought. She thought it was going to be a simple little mission, revive a few people and gaining more members to her peerage, things of that nature. But then she remembered something very important she learned a long time ago.

Nothing is really simple after all.

As even simple missions can go awry.


	3. A Simple Discovery

Why did everything _**burn?**_

Her body was on fire. It felt like her own blood was burning her alive from the inside out. And the pain, the pain was completely unbearable. She was somewhere, she couldn't remember, surrounded by shadows. The only thing she could see was the light shielding her from the darkness and this glowing spear in her gut. Now, she figured out very quickly that whatever this spear was made out of made her Aura useless and for every hit she took made her feel weaker and weaker. Hell, even standing near these black-winged people affected them. She didn't know how that works, but right now she had more pressing matters. Anyway, as she tried to get the spear out of her gut, she saw the shadows starting to grow and the light starting to fade. Out from the darkness came out black, slimy tentacles.

'OH GOD!' Ruby thought, before wincing in pain. She had read Blake's 'special' books out of curiousity before and she knew where this was going. She tried to move but her legs would respond, "G-G-Good scary tentacle monster. N-Nice scary tentacle monster." She said as she desperately tried to pull the spear out of her so she would have something to defend herself with. It was now inches away from her face and quickly closing in. She shut her eyes as she braced herself for the worst.

Suddenly, she felt something wet go across her cheek.

"Huh?" Ruby muttered as she slowly opened her eyes. Everything was blurry for a moment before everything clear, allowing her to see Zwei licking her face, "Ugh… Zwei?" Ruby said tiredly before she smiled while sitting up in her bed and hugging the little dog. She looked around and saw that she was back in the apartment, with her teammates still asleep, "Was it all… a nightmare?" Ruby muttered to herself before sighing, "Yeah. It was all a nightmare. Just some really messed up nightmare. We're all fine. No one's dead. It was just a stupid-" Suddenly, she heard some muffled whimpering as she felt Zwei scratching her chest, "What the-?" Ruby quickly pulled Zwei off her chest and looked down.

Something was definitely wrong.

She jumped out of her bed and hit the ground a bit sooner than she was used to. She quickly ran into the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror.

"Oh my God…" Ruby muttered before suffering a headache. She quickly studied her new look. Her pajamas were way too small for her, especially her tank top, and were barely keeping her decent. Her breasts were about Yang's size, maybe even bigger. Her hair had grown so long it reached her knees. She was also a lot taller than she was originally, making her look seventeen at least.

She then realized she had no underwear on.

Yeah, something was definitely wrong.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She yelled out before tripping on her own feet and banging her head against the wall, causing Yang and Weiss to wake up,

"What the Hell?!" Yang shouted as she fell off her bed and went to find her little sister, "Ruby, what's wrong…" She started before trailing off when she saw Ruby's new form.

"Yang, what's going on!?" Weiss asked as she saw Yang just standing in front of the door to the bathroom, her jaw dropped, "What happened to-" She cut herself off when she saw Ruby, "What happened to you!?"

"I don't know!" Ruby exclaimed as she stood up, "I don't think is a-WHAT THE HELL!?" She shouted while pointing at the Heiress.

"What?" Yang asked before turning to Weiss, before seeing why Ruby was freaking out.

Weiss' scar was gone.

"Holy shit." Yang swore before wincing in pain, "Weiss, look in the mirror." Weiss raised one of her eyebrows before doing so.

"What the-It's gone!" Weiss exclaimed. The doctor told her back when she got it even though it would fade, it was permanent and this imperfection was going to be with her for the rest of her life. She didn't know how to react to this development, all she knew right now was that something was wrong with them and they needed to figure out what, "What's happening to us!?"

"We need to wake up Blake. Maybe she can help us figure out what's happening to us." Ruby said before she, Weiss and Yang went back into the bedroom to wake up their Faunus friend. Yang ripped Blake's blanket off her bed before they all froze.

"Ugh… what is it?" Blake groaned as she slowly woke up, wondering why her teammates were staring at her,

"Blake." Ruby said slowly, "You have a tail."

"Huh?" Blake looked behind her and saw a black, cat-like tail swishing behind her coming out from her yukata, "Oh…"

"You also have whiskers, fangs and your eyes look different too. Kinda like a cat." Yang added before receiving a punch to the arm from Weiss which she didn't even feel,

'It's like hitting a mech.' Weiss thought, holding back tears as she nursed her now broken hand. They were all quiet for what felt like eternity as they just looked at each other, desperately trying to figure out what had happened.

"D-D-Didn't we die?" Ruby stuttered out, "Y-Y-Yang, t-te-tell me i-it was ju-just a dream." Everyone looked at Ruby, their eyes telling her what she didn't want to hear.

They all dreamed the same thing.

(A few minutes later)

Yang was pacing around the apartment while Ruby was playing around with her new assets, seeing if they were real. Weiss was in the bathroom, bandaging up her hand and staring in the mirror and Blake was on the couch shivering while curled up in a ball, "We need to call Beacon. Maybe they know what's happening to us." Yang suggested after some time thinking,

"Yang, no one has a growth spurt that makes them grow boobs, heal a permanent scar and definitely not make Faunus grow tails and whiskers overnight." Weiss said as she left the bathroom, "Even if it has happened before, I don't think this is something we can fix."

"Maybe it has to do with those people with black wings." Ruby said, "Maybe they did something to us that made us this way."

"The report said that people's desires were being granted…" Weiss muttered, "Maybe…"

"Don't. Say. It." Blake growled as she glared at Weiss, "Don't get me wrong, I love being a Faunus, but I never wanted a tail!"

"We have to call Beacon, at least. Maybe one of the one of the Professors have a clue to what's happening." Yang said before going to get her phone. When she grabbed it, it was instantly crushed in her hands, "Damn it!" Yang swore. After they freaked out about what was happening, Yang checked the fridge to see if it was something they ate, even though Weiss later pointed out that Earth's food was similar to Remnant's after Yang had ripped the fridge door off its hinges. Her strength control was out of whack right now, barely able to touch anything with out destroying it. "Ruby, I need your phone." 

"Okay." Ruby answered, having seen what Yang has done to the other phones. She held out her phone as Yang slowly reached for it, 'Come on, come on, come on!' Yang thought as she finally grabbed Ruby's phone. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and started calling Beacon.

"You're so lucky we got spares just in case." Ruby said as she breathed a sigh of relief,

"Yeah, we definitely need to figure out what happened to us." Yang muttered before looking at the time, "Oh crap! School starts in 10 minutes!"

"I think school can wait a few minutes considering everything." Weiss deadpanned.

"Well, maybe there's something we can learn that'll help us. Plus, the school's gonna call us if we don't show, C'mon, let's get changed." Ruby said. Weiss and Yang just shrugged as they went to get changed. Ruby had to borrow one of Yang's uniforms since her uniform didn't fit her anymore. They were about to go out, but then realized Blake was still in her yukata, "Blake, we gotta go!"

"I can't go out like this!" Blake exclaimed as she stood up, "People would treat me like I'm a freak! I could start a war because of what I look like right now! For the love of God, Ruby, what do you think would happen!?" Blake shouted before rubbing her head due to a headache.

"Uh… Blake?"

"This can't just cover it up like I did with my ears! And even if I could, someone will find out eventually! And what happens if I come back to Remnant? I can't face everyone while looking like," Ruby then held up her phone, showing her the reflection on it, "…a human. What?" Blake said as she saw that her tail, whiskers and even her ears were gone. Even her eyes had become less feline and more human like, "How did this happen?"

"We'll figure it out later. Let's go!" Weiss said. Blake nodded before quickly changing into her uniform before Team RWBY started running to Kuoh. When they saw the sun and they winced a little. It felt like the light shining upon them was draining them of their energy and they suddenly felt a lot more tired than they should've been. When they got to Kuoh, they automatically found a tree to sit under and let them recover their stamina, "Oh my God, that was tiring." Weiss managed to say while wincing from a sudden headache.

"Next time, we take the bus." Yang said as she stretched out her muscles.

"Why are we so tired?" Ruby groaned, "We should have better stamina than this!"

"We have to find out what those people did to us." Right after Blake said that, the bell rang. The RWBYs groaned as they forced themselves up and made their way to their class. As they walked there, Ruby felt uncomfortable. People were staring and her, whispering to each other about things she could actually hear. She wasn't used to this and all she wanted to do was pulling her hood up and ignoring everyone. Then she remembered she didn't have her cloak so she settled for looking down at her feet as she walked. Yang, Weiss and Blake could hear the whispers too. Yang wrapped her arm around Ruby and flashed everyone a glare, causing them to stop and back off.

"Thank you." Ruby said,

"No problem sis." Yang replied as they made it to the classroom. They took their seats and waited for class to start.

(A few hours later)

"Why does this school suck so much?" Yang groaned as she lifted her head off the desk. Class had just ended everyone was packing up their stuff and heading home, "We have literally learned nothing today."

"That's because we slept through most of day." Blake said tiredly, "I think Weiss and Ruby are still asleep." They looked and saw that she was right.

"Mmmm… thank you Mr. Cookie… why yes, I'd love some milk…" Ruby mumbled in her sleep before she slowly woke up, "Huh? What? What time is it? Don't tell me we slept through the entire day!"

"We did." Blake replied as the remaining conscious RWBYs groaned, "Wait, did we bring our Translators to school today?"

"AGH! WHO CARES!?" Issei yelled out, causing everyone there to jump and Weiss to fall out of her seat, "Matsuda, let's have an AV Marathon! Prepare 5 boxes of tissues! Motohama! To combat hunger, go and buy some snacks!"

"Welp, at least Issei's fine." Weiss deadpanned as she picked herself up.

"Please let this be all a dream." Yang said before the Huntresses noticed that everyone was looking out the window, "Huh? Why is everyone so excited?" The girls walked up to the window and looked around before seeing why everyone was so excited.

"That's Rias Gremory." Blake said, recognizing the girl. The other members of the team had never seen her before, only going off Blake's reports on her. And words could not describe how she looked in person.

"Wow." Ruby got out, in awe of her beauty.

"No wonder this school is full of perverts." Weiss muttered.

"I think she has bigger boobs than me." Yang said, feeling jealous. Ruby narrowed her eyes as she looked at one of the Two Great Ladies of Kuoh. She didn't know why but her Aura felt so… familiar to her. She couldn't put her finger on it but she recognized it. Suddenly, she started having flashbacks to that fight. The one that caused them to die.

'Did… she do this us?' Ruby thought as she clutched her heart. Suddenly, she looked up and smiled. Ruby and Issei's eyes widened as their pupils shrunk. They looked down and stared at their hands in thought, 'She knows. She knows who did this to us.' Ruby then tightened her hand into a fist.

"Ruby, are you alright?" Weiss asked as she saw her partner tense.

"Guys, I think we have a lead."

(2 hours later)

"Damn it, where is she?" Ruby said as walked around the neighborhood. She and her teammates had split up in order to find Rias and get answers from her. It was dark and the streetlights started to flicker on. She looked up at the moon and took a deep breath. She felt a lot better than she was in the morning. Actually, she felt better than ever, "So whatever they did to us made us weak in daylight and stronger at night. What exactly did they do to us?" Ruby muttered, not really paying attention to where she was going. Suddenly, she felt a weight on her chest, "Huh?" She looked down before she gasped.

Issei had tripped and landed right between her new assets, one hand on each mountain.

Then she felt drool and him squeezing them.

If she had Crescent Rose he would be dead but since she didn't have her weapon on her, she did the next best thing.

"KYAAA!" Ruby shouted as she kneed him in the nuts, slapped him and preceded to a whack him in the face with his own bag while on the ground, "PERVERT! PERVERT! PERVERT! PERVERT! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"

"OW! DAMN IT! STOP HITTING ME!"

"THEN DIE, YOU STUPID PERVERT!" Ruby was about to stomp on his face when she heard something coming from behind her.

"How unfortunate." A man in a suit and fedora said as he walked out of the shadows, "Actually bumping into someone like you two in a place like this." Ruby got off Issei and helped him up.

'What's this guy talking about?' Ruby & Issei thought.

'What the Hell? His Aura… feels…' Ruby thought before her eyes widened, 'Like the people with black wings.' Ruby and Issei started taking steps back, 'Note to self: bring Crescent Rose everywhere regardless of what Weiss and/or Blake says.'

"Trying to run away? Tell me, who is your master? Is it her?" The man asked. Ruby didn't understand what this guy was saying and she didn't want to know. She grabbed Issei, activated her Semblance and ran.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Issei yelled as he piggy-backed on Ruby, "WHAT'S HAPPENING!?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Ruby yelled back as she kept running as fast as she could. She got out her phone and activated the distress signal, hoping her teammates would find her in time. She felt herself starting to slow down, so she stopped and put Issei down. In all honesty, she expected her Semblance to give out for a while now. She had never used it for that long and especially at that speed. She was exhausted but at least she was better than Issei, who was physically drained from all that.

"A warning would've been nice." Issei huffed out as he managed to get himself up.

"Hey, at times like that, one should only concentrate on running away." Ruby replied as they took a quick look around of their surroundings, "Oh no." Ruby whispered as she realized they were at the park, the same place where they died.

"After running this far, I think we're sa-" Issei cut himself off as they saw a black feather fall gently to the ground.

"And you thought I'd let you two run away?" The man said as he landed behind them, his large black wings flapping to slow down his descent.

'He's one of them! Oh God, he's one of them!' Ruby thought as she rolled away, before clutching her head, 'Why do I keep getting these headaches!?'

"I can't detect any traces of your master boy, so you must be a Stray." The man said before looking at Ruby, "And you, little girl, must be a Stray as well. Did you kill your master, or did you run away?"

"What are-Who the Hell do you think you are!?" Ruby suddenly yelled out, "I don't know who you are or why you're here but I don't care! I am a Huntress and the Leader of Team RWBY, one of the greatest teams in Remnant, and I swear to God as soon as my friends find us you're going to die!" Ruby shouted at the man, ignoring the headache. She hoped that it would intimidate the man with black wings. The man only laughed at her.

"What's so funny?" Issei asked, his body shivering.

"Because God commands that you die by my hands." The man answered with a sadistic smirk, paralyzing them with those words, "Well, I don't know who you two are but I do know you're Strays. In that case…" The man then started forming a light spear in his hand, "Killing you two won't be a problem."

'Wh-What's happening?' Ruby thought as she collapsed to her knees, her eyes glazing over, 'Am... Am I going to die... again...?'

"Ruby?" Issei said before seeing the man was about to throw his spear at them, 'Oh no! I'm going to get killed! I need to-"

***SQUELCH!***

"Run." Issei finished off as the spear went through his and Ruby's abdomens. Ruby had tried to take the spear herself instead of Issei, "…Ruby."

"…Issei..." Ruby said weakly as they both coughed out blood, "Not *cough* again…" Ruby whispered as she tried to pull the spear out, "It hurts… so much."

"It… wasn't a dream." Issei managed to say between coughs before they both cried out in pain as they felt the spear get twisted, making the injury even worse.

"You can't pull it out, right?" The man said from behind them, "To you two, light is a deadly poison. Do you want me to pull it out for you?" Issei then felt the man press his foot against his back before pulling it out, causing an intense amount of pain and blood to go everywhere, "I apologize to giving you two such pain." He then took off his hat as Issei and Ruby tried to stop the bleeding, "Sadly, it looks like I missed all the vital organs, but I'll be accurate this time." He said as he gained a mad grin on his face while forming another light spear. "I'll kill you for sure!" He then threw the spear. Suddenly, everything went into slow motion for Ruby as she saw the spear heading towards her. She then felt this… energy going through her veins. She felt this energy mixing itself with her Aura causing her to glow red.

"NO!" Ruby shouted as she stood up and caught the spear with her bare hands. She could see that the spear was burning her hand due to the smoke coming out of it but she couldn't feel any pain. She then threw the spear away and into the trees, "I-I won't let you hurt…" Ruby then started coughing up blood again, "I w-won't let you hurt him *cough* over my dead body."

'What the…' Everyone thought before the Fallen Angel got blasted by some sort of red force.

"Could you  _not_ touch these kids?" The voice said as she appeared in front of Ruby and Issei. Ruby's eyes widened as she saw who it was.

"You're… you're…" Ruby whispered to herself.

"That red hair… I'm quite familiar with it." The man said as he picked up his hat, "Are you part of the Gremory family?"

"Well, yes I am. My name is Rias Gremory. It's a pleasure, Mr. Fallen Angel." Rias said, her form glowing in the moonlight, "I won't forgive you if you killed these two."

"Seriously, these are actually your underlings…?" the Fallen Angel asked.

"Nope. Only the boy. The girl… she's special. I'm just taking her under my wing." Rias answered while looking at Ruby, "Isn't that right, Miss Royal Pawn?"

'What is she talking about?' Ruby thought before she collapsed to her knees, 'Someone, anyone, tell me what's happening.'

"Well, next time don't leave your apprentice and servant unattended. Someone like me, while out taking a walk, may accidently hunt them down." The man said.

"Duly noted." Rias said with a smiled before flaring her power and giving the Fallen Angel a cold glare, "This city is under my jurisdiction. If you dare try and interfere again, don't blame me for taking more drastic measures!"

'What is she?!' Ruby thought as she shielded her face.

"The same goes to you, Next Head of the Gremory family." The man said as he flew away, "My name is Dohnaseek. I pray that we never meet again." And with that, Ruby blacked out.

"Hey, are you two okay?" Rias asked, her tone now comforting and warm. Suddenly, two other bodies dropped from the trees. Rias sighed as she turned and saw Blake and Weiss lying on the ground with blood pooling around them, "She accidently hit them with the light spear when she threw it away, didn't she?"

"Okay, I admit, no idea how that happened but you have some explaining to do." Yang said as she cocked Ember Cecelia and placed her fist against Rias' head, "You have ten seconds to tell me why I shouldn't blow your brains out right now. Now, what happened to us!?" Rias sighed again.

"Koneko-chan."

"Hai." Koneko said from in between Yang and Rias, freaking out Yang.

"Huh!? What!? Who-" Yang didn't finish as Koneko punched her in the gut, pulled her down to her level and head-butted her multiple times, and hard enough to knock her out before throwing her to the ground, "Ow…" The Loli said as she rubbed her forehead.

"You see, that's why I needed you." Rias said.

"Why not Akeno-san or Kiba-san?" Koneko had to ask as she grabbed Issei, Ruby, Weiss and Yang. Very casually I must add.

"Kiba-kun probably wouldn't do it even if I tried and Akeno…" Rias trailed off, seeing that she didn't need to go further as she picked up Blake, "Okay, let's go and get them somewhere safe." She then saw Blake starting to gain whiskers and cat ears before shifting back into human, 'These girls are certainly interesting… first the first Low-Class King in history and now a former dormant Youkai. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Yes, this will be very interesting indeed.' Rias then look up, just in time to see a black and red portal fade away from existence, 'Very interesting…'


	4. A Simple Explanation

There were a lot of things Ruby noticed as she slowly woke up after what seemed to be the weirdest yet most realistic dream she's ever experienced. Not a pleasant one, mind you, just really,  _really_ weird. Anyway, as she started taking note of her surroundings, her expression started to shift from confusion to outright horrified.

One, there was a girl threatening her to get up or else she'd kill her. Two, it wasn't the apartment. Three, she didn't recognize the room at all and swore she saw porn magazines on the floor. Four, she was naked. Five, her teammates were naked and still asleep. Six, They were all on one bed that Ruby had no idea how it would fit all of them, let alone support their combined weight. Seven, Rias Gremory was on top of all of them, naked and asleep as well and hugging them (or at least trying to). And finally, she was on top of someone and she didn't want to know what was dangerously close to her sacred place.

There were only two things Ruby thought about as she tried to scream, but nothing came out.

'Why does everything happen to us? And why does God hate us?'

After wincing in pain, snapped Ruby out of her trance and started using her head. Well, she would've if the person underneath her didn't wake up and shifted around. She didn't know why in the Hell she did it, but she twisted her body around to see who it was.

And only saw Issei, whose face was dangerously close to her's.

This was the first of the many moment Ruby wished she turned down the mission. Or died again. Whatever worked for her at the moment.

Then her face was covered in nose blood.

And, much to the luck of the pervert underneath her, fate had decided it was time for Yang to wake up.

(20 seconds later!)

" **PERVERT! PERVERT! PERVERT! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!** " Yang shouted as she tried to destroy Issei's chance of having children while Rias tried to stop her and the rest of them tried to find their clothes and cover themselves up.

"I REGRET NOTHING!" Issei shouted out. If he died right now, at least he had a harem around him when he did.

" **THEN DIE YOU STUPID PERVERT!** "

"Please let this be a dream, please let this be a dream…" Weiss chanted to herself as she managed to find her school uniform, which looked like it had been repaired in the stomach area, as well as Blake's.

"If this is a dream, we should all see therapists." Blake replied as she tried to pull out the whiskers on her face, but to no avail. Then she looked at Ruby, who was still on the bed, frozen on the spot. By now, she was sure Ruby had enough mental scars to challenge even the most battle-weary of Huntsman or Huntress. That is, if they ever went back to Remnant. Which they desperately wanted to.

Especially when Issei's mother walked in.

"Issei, are you up?" She asked as she opened the door, "When did you-" She quickly stopped her sentence when she saw Issei being straddled by two beautiful girls, another one frozen and covered in blood and another two watching. All of them having horrified expressions on their faces (except Rias).

"Good morning." Rias greeted happily.

"…Hurry up and get ready." She said tonelessly as she slowly closed the door.

"…Someone kill me." Ruby said after a moment of silence. Then they started hearing Issei's parents… "talking" about what she had just seen.

"Really, your family is so energetic in the morning." Rias told the local pervert as she pushed Yang off of him.

"Gah! PUT SOME CLOTHES ON ALREADY!" Weiss shouted at the red head, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW INDECENT THAT IS!? ESPECIALLY AROUND PEOPLE LIKE HIM!" Weiss yelled out as she pointed at Issei.

"Uh, guh, y-yeah senpai. Your breasts are in full view after all." Issei stated before looking at the two other naked people, "You two as well." He said as he tried to block another nose bleed. This got the two sister's to come out of their trance and quickly tried to find their clothes.

"Then just see them to your heart's content." Rias answered seductively, causing Weiss' jaw to drop and Issei's nose to spurt more blood. Blake was sure he would've been dead at this point,

"How are your injuries?" Rias asked as she pulled on her panties and Issei put on some boxers, "You guys got pretty beat up back there." This caused everyone to remember what had happened last night.

"Yeah…" Yang muttered as she rubbed her head, "Everyone got hit with that glowing spear thing and I got knocked out."

"Okay, I don't remember you getting knocked out but I definitely remember that stupid guy with black wings." Ruby said as she rubbed her stomach, "But… wasn't that a dream?" Ruby asked as she looked at Issei, who also wonder whenever or not it was a dream.

"Well, I'm tell you now, it wasn't a dream." Rias answered as she put on her shirt. Everyone's eyes widened as they checked their bodies. To their surprise, there wasn't even a scar left behind. Hell, all their scars were gone. Weiss couldn't help but touch where her scar used to be.

"T-There isn't even a scar left!" Issei exclaimed.

"You can all thank me for that!" Rias said as she sat on the bed. By now, everyone was now dressed to some extent, "You're all surprisingly robust considering you all sustained critical injuries. Even Yang over there didn't need as much help. She healed mostly on her own."

"Wait, we all got seriously injured. How did we…?" Blake asked.

"Oh, I gave all of you some of my power." Rias answered simply.

"By…" Yang said.

"By embracing you all. In. The. Nude." Rias finished with seductive overtones as she showed a little bit of her cleavage.

"Oh." They all said, before realizing what she just said, "WHAT!?"

"WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU DO THAT!?" Yang yelled out, demanding answers.

"Well, it's simple." Rias said as she smiled at all of them, "My name is Rias Gremory. And I am a Devil."

It was then and there where the RWBYs realized that this mission got a whole lot more complicated.

"I'm also your master by the way, so please take care of me." And that's the point where they all realized how screwed they were. Gears started turning in their heads as they processed the fact they were in the presence of a Devil. And that they all thought they were her servants.

This was going to be a very long mission.

(6 minutes later)

"Well, your parents were certainly… interesting." Blake said while in her human form as they all walked to school together. What Blake meant by interesting, she meant the fact that Issei's father and mother were crying at the fact that their useless perverted son actually achieved something his short life, let alone actually have a chance of continuing the Hyoudou legacy. And Weiss thought she had serious daddy issues, at least her dad had expectations for her! They felt too guilty to admit that there was nothing going on so they decided to keep quiet and let Issei's parents have this moment of happiness.

"Yeah, they're a little… yeah." Issei replied as he scratched the back of his head.

"I refuse to believe that you're a Devil, let alone you being my master." Weiss said as she glared at Rias, "I have you know I have connections very powerful people from where I come from and at the flick of my wrist I can have you disappear without a trace."

"And can those connections believe a school girl is a Devil that healed all of you and that you are now my servant? In fact, can your connections even  _get_ here?" Rias asked a smug look on her face, causing Weiss to glare at her more, "Anyway, you're mistaken. I'm-"

"I'm back!" Ruby shouted out as she caught up with everyone, their weapons in her hands.

"Ruby… why did you grab our weapons?" Yang asked.

"Look, I lived longer because I had Crescent Rose with me and I almost died again because I didn't bring Crescent Rose with me so like  _fucking Hell_  I'm leaving my baby at home again!" Ruby said as she threw everyone's weapons at them, allowing her to cuddle her Scy-ifle, "I'm never leaving you home ever again." She sighed.

"Ruby, language!" Weiss said sternly as she proceeded to lecture her on the use of swear words and why they shouldn't bring weapons into a civilian school, not noticing or caring that Ruby wasn't even listening. Rias couldn't help but giggle at the sight as she signaled Akeno to subtly cast a spell that would make their weapons invisible to human eyes. She had got Akeno to watch the RWBYs just in case more interesting things happened to them. After all, she wanted to know why someone would willingly give their status as a King to a human, let alone why choose Ruby out of all people. She needed more information and it was high time she got it.

"Oh, we're here." Rias said, getting everyone to stop talking, "I'll see you all later then, okay? I'll come for all of you later today, alright?"

"Yes ma'am!" Issei said as he saluted, while the RWBYs just muttered what vaguely was a 'yes'.

"This is going to a little tough." Rias muttered to herself as she walked away. Issei had taken being her servant into his stride, though she knew it was because of his perversion and the fact that she saved his life, but mostly because he was a pervert. The RWBYs, on the other hand, looked like have taken it well. She even suspected that they didn't exactly believe her, like it was some sort of prank. Though she knew it was a likely scenario, it wasn't something she wanted to happen. She needed their trust or else she was doomed for a life of misery.

"Looks like they're off the market, huh?" Souna Shitori, real name Sona Sitri, said, "So, they're all Devils?"

"Since the day before."

"And they're all a part of your peerage, I presume?"

"No." That surprised her.

"But they died, didn't they?"

"Yes."

"And you revived them?"

"Look," Rias said as she stopped walking and looked at her fellow King in the eye, "It's complicated and I'll explain later but right now I need some time to think." She looked at her friend for a couple of seconds before nodding, "Thank you." And with that, the bell rang and it was time to start another school day.

(Some time later…)

"Have I mentioned how much I hate school?" Yang groaned, the RWBYs' faces on their desks.

"Yes, 13 times today in fact." Blake said as she rubbed her eyes. It had been a long a stressful day. First of all were the rumours that Issei now had a harem, and they were a part of it. Though, Yang had enough energy to threaten castration and dismemberment to quickly get rid of that rumour for good. They also found out that they managed to earn themselves a reputation around Kuoh. "The Gems of the Academy" they were called. By that point, they didn't care and just about their day. When Blake brought up again that they didn't bring their Translators however, they just listed it up as one of the weird changes to their bodies as well as why no one noticed their weapons, although they noticed more than a few people shifting away from Ruby when she was cuddling Crescent Rose during class. But they knew they had to ask Rias for answers to those, considering that she was their master apparently. They still didn't trust her, not by a long shot, but right now she was the source of all their questions and answers.

Who was Rias Gremory and simply why them?

"After this, I'm asking Professor Ozpin to give us a vacation." Ruby said as her teammates nodded their heads.

"If we do, we're going to my family beach house in Vacuo." Weiss muttered as they all lifted their heads up.

"I've never been to Vacuo, how is it?" Yang asked, only for their conversation to be cut short.

"Hello, I'm looking for Issei Hyoudou, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long. Has anyone seen them?" Kiba Yuuto, also know as the beloved of the entire female student and the common enemy of the entire male student body, asked in a kind voice.

"Yep, that would be us." Yang spoke up as the RWBYs got out of their seat.

"Well, if it isn't the handsome prince…" Issei said tonelessly, "What do you need us for?"

"It was Rias-senpai who asked me to find you all." Kiba answered with a smile. The RWBYs had to admit, that smile was something sent from God himself.

"Ow." The RWBYs winced as they grabbed their heads. Kiba noticed this and raised an eyebrow.

"Well then… see ya guys later." Issei said with a smug look on his face as he and the RWBYs followed him, ignoring the curses and shouts from Issei's friends, "Man, how much longer do we have to walk?" Issei muttered, trying ignore the comments about how great Kiba is and how unbelievably pathetic he was next to him.

"Yeah, where are we going anyway?" Ruby asked, still uncomfortable with her new body and they fact that she was getting stared at.

"Don't worry, we're almost there." Kiba answered as he flashed a smile at her, causing Ruby to calm down a bit and Issei to try and burn his head off with only his eyes. Soon, they had arrived at an old school building. They wondered for a second why come to the place before they followed Kiba in, "We're here." Kiba then knocked on the door, "Buchou, they're here!"

"Hm?" The girls and Issei looked up and saw a sign above the door.

'Occult Research Club?' They all thought before the RWBYs sweatdropped.

'A Devil in charge of a club about studying devils. That makes sense.' The RWBYs thought as they remembered that Rias was the club president.

"Come in." A voice from inside told them. Kiba opened the door to reveal the clubroom. It was what they expected. Books on occult stuff and some other junk they didn't necessarily understood they were there, but the most peculiar thing they saw was the symbol drawn in the middle of the clubroom.

"Well, aren't you coming?" Issei asked as the RWBYs stayed outside.

"Um, yeah, you go ahead. They probably need a virgin sacrifice before we can do anything." Weiss half-joked, half-stated.

"Yeah, probably…" Issei muttered before realizing what Weiss just said, "Hey!"

"Come on guys. Let's just go in." Ruby said as they walked in and looked around the room. That's when they noticed a small girl eating sweets on the couch. Team RWBY and Issei couldn't help but stare at her. She just looked so goddamn cute.

"Um, who's she?" Ruby asked the pervert, as none of her teammate has seen her yet.

"That's First Year Koneko Toujou, the school mascot." Issei answered. The RWBYs instantly recognized the name and title from their investigation but have never seen her before as Blake couldn't find her, "She's supposed to be tremendously apathetic-what happened to her!?"

"What?" The girls asked as they looked at Koneko, only to see she had an ice-pack taped to her head. From the looks of it, she must've cracked her skull on something very,  _very_ hard. At that moment, Koneko had noticed that she wasn't alone anymore and looked at them.

"These are the people Buchou was talking about." Kiba introduced.

"Hi, I'm Yang! Nice to meet you!" Yang introduced herself. Koneko looked at Yang and Yang swore she saw her glare before going back to her food,

"Thick-Head." She whispered before popping a sweet in her mouth.

"Well, this is familiar." Yang muttered, remembering back before the Initiation where she met Blake. She swore they could be cousins, "What did I do to her?" She turned to her teammates but they all shrugged.

"Wait a minute," Issei spoke up with a surprised look on his face, "Did-Did she just call you a dic-"

"Wait, there's a shower here?" Blake asked as everyone noticed the distinct sound of a shower running. They looked around and saw that there was one behind them, "Why is there still running water in this building?" When she asked that, the shower turned off,

"For you Buchou." A voice from behind the curtain said as she handed Rias a towel.

"Thank you Akeno." Rias replied as she grabbed the towel.

"Wait, there was someone else behind the curtain?" Weiss asked rhetorically. While this seemed similar to how she was treated back home, her servants would wait outside of the bathroom, not outside the shower door. If they were, she would fire their asses before she called security, "Don't you think that would cause… problems?" Weiss said as she looked at Issei, who was drooling.

"What an odious face…" Koneko said, before looking away when they all looked at her.

"Sorry for the wait." Rias apologized as she pushed the curtain away, "I stayed over at Issei's place yesterday, so I didn't get a chance to bathe, you know?"

"So first you make us sleep in the nude without our permission, tell us something we have trouble believing and now you're taking a shower in the school with someone waiting outside." Blake deadpanned, "I'm sorry if I offend you but you aren't exactly making the best first impression, Rias."

"Oh, so you're the Nekomata Buchou was talking about." Akeno said as she walked up to her.

"Wait, Neko-what?" Blake asked as suddenly her cat features appeared, "Oh no, not again, nya!" Suddenly she clamped her hand over her mouth as Koneko dropped her sweets in shock and Issei's nose spurted out even more blood and collapsed on the floor.

"W-What?" Yang said as she tried not to laugh as Blake mentally panicked.

'No, no, no! I thought I grew out of that!' Blake thought. She used to have a verbal tic when she was young but when she joined the White Fang, she forced herself to stop saying that, especially in front of Adam, "Don't you dare laugh, Xiao Long, nya!" She growled only to clamp her mouth shut again, causing Yang to try harder not to laugh.

"Don't worry, we're not here to judge you." Ruby comforted the catgirl, even though she found it funny as well.

"Thank you Ruby, nya." Blake said with a smile, only for the mood to be ruined when Yang couldn't hold it in anymore and started rolling on the floor laughing.

"Don't worry about her; she just has the mind of a 6 year old." Weiss said as she shook her head at Yang. At least she had enough control to laugh at Blake in her mind, "Anyway, Akeno, I presume?" Weiss said as she turned to one the Great Ladies of Kuoh.

"Heard of me before, have we? Well, let me formally introduce myself. My name is Akeno Himejima, pleased to meet you all." Akeno said as she bowed as she smiled with a small blush, "Please take care of me."

"Ah, I should be the one saying that!" Issei said as he quickly got off the floor, "Please take care of  _me_!"

"And you must be Issei Hyoudou." Akeno chuckled out. "Nice to meet you."

"Now then, everyone is here." Rias said as Yang recovered from her laughing fit. Everyone went and took a seat while Akeno gave the new people tea.

"This is nice. Thank you." Ruby complimented as Akeno gave her a smile in response.

"Issei, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, welcome to the Occult Research Club." Rias said, choosing to stand.

"Um, you can call us Team RWBY if you want to reference me and my friends, thanks." Ruby spoke up. Rias raised an eyebrow before deciding it was a question she would have to ask later, "I'll get straight to the point: We're all Devils."

"Still don't believe you." Weiss said as she sipped some tea and glared at the Gremory, "I refuse to believe you unless you actually show us some facts."

"Yeah, it is hard to believe." Issei admitted. Rias sighed before speaking again.

"Well, that's expected. It is rather hard to believe but I guess it can't be helped. You remember the guy from last night with black wings right?" Rias asked. Ruby shivered as she remembered. She felt so… helpless. She never felt so helpless before and of course she couldn't forget the day that she and her teammates died. She didn't know how they were alive but now she couldn't but think about why they were alive. Are they alive or more importantly, are they still themselves, "He is a Fallen Angel."

"A Fallen Angel?" Yang asked, "What the Hell are they?"

"Fallen Angels are the Angels originally from Heaven that served the Gods, cast out and sent to Hell due to their wicked nature. We Devils want to retain control of Hell, and we've been battling Fallen Angels ever since." Rias explained.

"Um… but what makes you guys different from the Fallen Angels? Assuming you are actually Devils." Blake asked.

"Well, we Devils make pacts with humans for a price in order to obtain power, whereas the Fallen Angels take control of humans and use them to destroy Devils. Moreover, the Gods have tasked many Angels of destroying Fallen Angels and us Devils, making the situation a three-way standoff. It's been like this for a very long time. Do you understand what I've said so far?"

"Er… so this is an Occult Research Club's discussion forum?" Issei said.

"Everything I've said is the truth." Rias told him, looking a bit miffed.

"Yeah, sure, but… really?" Ruby spoke up, "Angels vs. Fallen Angels vs. Devils? I can probably read up on that online. Look, I'm sorry, but to us… you guys are either crazy or this whole thing is an elaborate scheme to get us to join the Occult Research Club. By the way, if it is, nice touch with the KILLING US!"

"Hey there. The Research Club is just a front. In reality, we Devils use this room as our headquarters." Kiba told Ruby as he tried to calm her down.

"That's not the issue here!" Issei growled as he pulled Ruby away from Kiba, "Now shut up!" Rias looked at the exchange and knew she wasn't getting it through them, so she decided to use her trump card.

"This girl… you must recognize her, right?" Rias said as she pulled out a picture. The RWBYs gathered around Issei and saw who it was.

"Yuuma-chan!?" Issei exclaimed as the RWBYs jumped back in shock.

"Wait a minute, YOU WERE THERE, WEREN'T YOU!?" Yang shouted out as her hair started to glow, "YOU LET US DIE!"

"This picture was from before the date when she was meeting with her superiors." Rias quickly lied, "We were going to save you but we were stalled by other Fallen Angels. I'm sorry but when I got there, you all had already taken your last breaths."

"WELL IF YOU JUST-"

"Yang!" Ruby shouted at her half-sister, "It's… it's alright. They did what they could." Rias felt guilty for lying to them but she needed them to trust her, and from the sounds of it, it was working, "So…" Ruby said as everyone sat down, "Issei, were you going to say something?"

"Oh, right." Issei said as he looked back at the picture, "How did you get this anyway? All the photos we took were gone and… no one seems to remember her."

"Well, to put your mind at rest, that girl certainly exists." Rias said, "She's a Fallen Angel, just like the one who ambushed you and Ruby yesterday."

"Please stop reminding me…" Ruby whispered out as her body shook. Rias couldn't help but take pity. It looks like she has developed a fear of Fallen Angels. This was going to be awkward considering that the local Fallen Angel just served her tea.

"Anyway, after she and her Fallen Angel friends killed you guys, it seems like she modified everyone else's memory and records of her. That's why no one remembers the girl named Yuuma Amano." Rias continued.

"That probably isn't even her real name. Why give someone you're supposed to kill your name when they're just going to die anyway." Blake guessed.

"My thoughts exactly." Rias replied.

"But wait, we're all alive and well right now!" Issei exclaimed, "Also, why would she want to kill us?"

"Team RWBY only got in the way, I'm afraid." Rias answered as she shook her head, causing said to look down.

"We… died for nothing." Weiss whispered to herself.

"We didn't die for nothing!" Ruby snapped, "We died trying to protecting an innocent! And even though it was too early for us… wouldn't choose any other way to die."

"Ruby…" Yang said, both shocked and proud of her half sibling.

"But it doesn't change the fact to her we only got in her way." Blake said, continuing the conversation, "Why did she want to kill Issei?"

"That's because Issei possesses a Sacred Gear." Rias said. There was a silence as they processed the information so far before Yang broke the silence.

"A Sacred what?" Yang asked.

"'Sacred Gear', huh? That sounds…" Ruby said as she rubbed her chin.

"Familiar…" Issei finished.

_"Does it **LOOK LIKE I KILLED HIM YET**!?" Raynare shouted at her fellow Fallen Angel as she pointed at her target, "I GOT HIT WITH FLYING LOCKERS AND THEY ALL HAVE FUCKING SACRED GEARS!"_

_"If you want to someone blame, blame God. He put those Sacred Gears into your bodies." And with that, she walked away, leaving everyone to die._

"Yeah… 'Yuuma' said that we all had Sacred Gears." Ruby said, "But wait… we don't have Sacred Gears. We have Semblances."

"'Semblance'?" Rias asked.

"It's the manifestation of our innate and personal power as an ability unique to each individual, with the effects varying greatly from user to user." Blake explained, "It basically represents an aspect of our character. For example, Ruby ability to run at the speed of sound. It can also be hereditary, like Weiss' glyphs." 

"Huh… that's… very interesting." Rias said after thinking for a bit, "Thank you for that."

"So, what's a Sacred Gear?" Yang asked as she started to distance herself from Akeno.

"I'll explain this." Akeno spoke up, "A Sacred Gear resides in special humans, giving them abilities far above normal. Although most of them can only take effect within human society."

"And Issei, you have that kind of power within your body." Rias finished off. Issei looked down his body.

'Within my body…' Her thought. Suddenly, it hit him, "Wait! Eh!? I know I'm a super healthy, virile guy, but that thing is actually a super famous tool nicknamed the Sacred Gear!?" Issei exclaimed as he grabbed his 'Sacred Gear'. The RWBYs couldn't help but face palm while Issei was thinking how all the women in the world would after his tool and how his life would be in danger for the rest of his life. Rias was almost starting to question why she revived Issei.

"Ecchi…" Koneko sighed as she went back to secretly staring at Blake while glaring at Yang.

"No…" Rias sweatdropped, "Just… listen, okay Issei?" Issei stopped what he was doing and nodded, "Good. Now, close your eyes and strike a pose that makes you feel like you could draw out a strong power from within."

"Um… okay…" Issei said as he tried to do a powerful pose, 'Why I am doing this?' Issei thought.

"Maybe we should try it out too!" Ruby suggested, "Maybe we have Sacred Gears!"

"Ruby, I think our Semblances count as our Sacred Gears." Weiss told her leader, "Plus, I don't want to look like that." Weiss said as she pointed at Issei.

"Hey! This the Kamehameha from Dragon Ball Z!" Issei retorted.

"It doesn't look like you have any power…" Rias admitted as she looked at the strange pose.

"Yes I do! Watch this!" Issei said with a cocky smirk, "Ka… me…"

"It isn't going to work." Blake predicted.

"Ha… me…"

"Oh, what is he going to do, blast a hole through the building?" Yang joked.

"HA!" Issei finished off as he aimed at the RWBYs, causing them to flinch. But, nothing happened.

"I told you it wasn't going to-" Blake was then interrupted as Issei's started to glow, "What the Hell!?"

"What is this!?" Issei exclaimed as some sort of red gauntlet with a green jewel started to form around his hand.

"That," Rias paused for dramatic effect as the Sacred Gear finished forming, "Is your Sacred Gear!"

"Amazing! This looks awesome!" Issei said as he admired the Sacred Gear.

"Whoa…" Ruby stared in awe at the gauntlet, "That's… so… cool!"

"Why, out of all the people on Earth, did God choose him?" Weiss asked before wincing.

"The world works in mysterious ways." Blake answered. "Not necessarily smart ways but..."

"I wonder if…" Yang muttered as she stared at her hands, "I wonder if I have one."

"Yang, I already said this. Their Sacred Gears are our Semblances." Weiss said.

"How would you know? We haven't tested it. It could be as simple as-" Suddenly, she paused her sentence as she stared blankly into space, a shiver running down her spine as she felt _something_ inside her stir.

"Uh, Yang?" Ruby asked, worried about her sister.

"It can be as simple as…" Yang repeated as she balled her right arm into a fist, "As simple as…"

"Yang?" Blake was now worried for her partner.

"AS SIMPLE AS THIS!" Yang suddenly shouted out, her eyes flashing red, as she thrust her arm into the air, "Come to me, SACRED GEAR:  **BLOODLUST**!" All of a sudden, flames started in engulf Yang's arm as everyone felt a pressure crush their chests as the Sacred Gear started to form. When everything settled, everyone saw Yang's Sacred Gear. It was actually similar to Issei's Sacred Gear, except was coloured gold and the gem on the back of her hand was grey.

"…Holy shit." Ruby swore before suffering a headache as Weiss & Blake stared at Yang in shock.

"Yeah, well, that was a thing." Yang said as she scratched the back of her head with her new Sacred Gear, "Um… yeah. I have a Sacred Gear!"

"Of course you do." Rias muttered as she rubbed her temples, 'I was  _this_ close to getting another one.' Rias thought before continuing the explanation, "The Fallen Angel Yuuma Amana thought Issei's Sacred Gear posed a threat and when you all showcased your Semblances, she decided to kill you all."

"But… we're still alive." Issei stated.

"Really? I haven't noticed." Weiss said sarcastically.

"Well, when you took your last breath, you summoned me." Rias explained, "Akeno, give Issei a simplified pentagram." Akeno nodded as she gave Issei the flier.

"Yeah… I think I've seen this before…" Issei muttered. 'A cute girl gave it to me.' He thought.

"I told you before: A Devil requires a signed contract in order to utilize a human's power." Rias continued, "They forge an agreement based on the fulfillment of a human's wish, taking power equivalent to the wish they grant. But these days, humans who can draw this kind of pentagram have become almost non-existent."

"And you call this simplified…" Blake muttered as she looked at the pentagram. It looked extremely complicated and complex. And these days, no one had the time or patience to draw something like this, let alone summon a Devil to do their bidding.

"That's why we were giving out 'Simplified Pentagrams' to people with strong desires and Issei just happened to be on the street that day, where you received one from one of our familiars passing out the form." Rias said. Suddenly, Issei was glad he was glad he was weak to cute women or else he wouldn't have taken it.

"What was his wish?" Yang asked.

"To at least die in the arms of a beautiful girl." Rias answered with a wink at Issei. Now he was glad he was a pervert. His perversion saved his life, "So, when I was summoned, I discovered that Issei possessed a Sacred Gear, so I saved his life. I made him a Devil, becoming an underling of Rias Gremory and live again!"

"Wait, what about us? We were there right next to him!" Weiss pointed out.

"Someone had saved you girls before I could." Rias said as she got Akeno to retrieve the chess set, "I believe this is yours." Ruby instantly recognized it.

"Hey, that's mine!" Ruby said as she grabbed. She opened it up and saw that the cheap white plastic pieces were gone and a few of the black pieces were gone too, "Wait, where are the white pieces? Where's King, Knight, Rook and Bishop pieces for the black ones?" Rias only smirked.

"Well, why don't we properly introduce ourselves?" Rias said as everyone in the ORC stood up and revealed their wings.

"My name in Kiba Yuuto, second year and a Devil."

"Koneko Toujou. First year. Devil."

"I'm Akeno Himejima, the Vice President of the Occult Research Club, a third year and a Devil."

"And I'm your Master, Rias Gremory, the heir to the family title of duke. We're all in your care, Issei." That's when Issei's wings appeared, looking smaller than the others wings.

"You were actually telling the truth." Ruby said, "B-But wait, you revived Issei, but who revived us?" She had to ask, "What happened to Team RWBY?" Rias sighed as she whispered into Ruby's ear.

"In all sense… you did."

"What?" Ruby said in shock, "But… huh!?"

"Ruby, you wished to not let your friends die. It was you who saved your friends. There was a pentagram inside the chess set of thought extinct family." Ruby couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I… saved my friends, but that would mean I wouldn't be here. I would've stayed dead."

"But, they would need someone to lead them, right?" Now Ruby was confused.

"Um… what?" Rias sighed as she decided to get to the point.

"As eye witness of your revival, I can safely say this. You are not part of my peerage." Rias stated, "You are not my underling, you are my apprentice."

"Apprentice of what?"

"Apprentice of a King." Rias answered, "You're a King, Ruby. A role only those who prove themselves earn. You have power beyond what you know. Congratulations of gaining your own peerage, Miss Ruby Rose, the first ever Human King."


	5. A Simple Meeting

How did everything devolve into this?

Standing among what was left of a building, Ruby could only stare at the _thing_ in front of her. Her clothes in tatters, her right arm useless and her body yelling at her to collapse, Ruby could only just lean on Crescent Rose as the monster in front of her roared. She couldn’t believe it. After all this time she spent training, learning about being a Devil and becoming a half-decent King, it still wasn’t enough. Rias’ peerage couldn’t damage the creature. Her own peerage, young but determined and as strong as ever, had fallen when they had challenged the monster of mass death and destruction. She was sure they were alive but they weren’t standing back up soon. It was unstoppable. It was hopeless. It was impossible to fight it and win. It was supposed to be a simple mission. It all started with such a simple mission. As she lost consciousness, she went back to the day that started it all.

The day she learned she was the Human King.

(Rewind!)

“What the heck is that supposed to mean!?” Ruby exclaimed as waved her arms around as her teammates sweatdropped at their apparent King, “What do you mean by ‘Human King’!? What do you mean by ‘Royal Pawn’ back there!? Why am I your apprentice!? What does some stupid chess set have to do with Devils!?” Suddenly, Ruby stopped as it hit her full force.

She died.

Ruby Rose, prodigy, youngest student in Beacon, the daughter of the best mother in the entire land of Remnant, got herself killed and now a Devil.

As soon as she realized this, there was the sound of clothes ripping as Ruby’s wings broke free from their confines.

“Oh dear God.” Ruby muttered before clutching her head in pain.

“Wait, so, we’re all… Devils?” Yang asked skeptically as she ran her armoured hand through her hair. She hadn’t figured out how to put back Bloodlust back to… wherever it was, “As in a spirit of evil. We’re _that_.”

“Devils aren’t evil, they just represent evil and punish those who commit sinful acts.” Rias answered. Yang just shrugged at the answer before the rest of team RWBY and Issei let their wings out. Issei groaned a little when he saw that his wings were smaller than the RWBYs,

“So we are actually Devils…” Blake said as she stared at her wings before groaning, “That’s just great.”

‘Oh no.’ Weiss thought as she studied her wings, ‘No no no no. This is bad. This is really bad.’

“Wow, this is actually kinda cool.” Yang admitted as she flapped her wings a little.

“COOL!?” Weiss snapped before grabbing Yang’s collar, “WE! ARE! DEVILS! BEINGS FROM HELL! HOW CAN YOU FIND ANY OF THIS ‘COOL’!?”

“W-Weiss, calm down, you’re just freaking out-“

“’Freaking out’!?” Weiss repeated before letting out a humourless laugh, “I have the _right_ to freak out right now! Not only did I die, I’m a freaking Devil now! You think racism against Faunus are bad? JUST WAIT UNTIL EVERY SINGLE PERSON ON REMNANT THINKS WE’RE MONSTERS!”

“ **ENOUGH**!” Ruby shouted out, breathing heavily after letting out all her breath from that one word, “We are not monsters!”

“Oh! Miss ‘Human King’, tell us why-“

“Monsters hurt people who can’t defend themselves!” Ruby quickly stopped Weiss’ sarcasm, “Monsters aim to hunt down hurt innocent people all because they want to! People like Grimm, the White Fang now and Torchwick are monsters!” Ruby then took in a deep breath, “True monsters are those who let defenseless people die, and last time I checked, we died protecting someone.” This caused Weiss to look down sadly.

“But… what about-“

“Save it for when it comes. Right now, we deal with this.” Ruby said firmly before turning back to Rias, who looked rather impressed. Although she still couldn’t exactly call her King material, she certainly had potential.

“Anyway, it isn’t all that bad. We have strawberries & cookies!” Rias joked before noticing Ruby’s eyes shimmering and quickly changing her opinion of the young Huntress-In-Training, “Plus, if you do well, everyone here could potentially gain their own servants!” This actually sparked interest in newly-reincarnated Devils.

“Um, I happen to be rich from where I come from. I don’t need butlers.” Weiss pointed out while Issei was stuck in a daydream about potentially gaining his own harem.

“I don’t mean butlers or maids, I mean people who will obey your every whim, no matter what it is.” Rias clarified as she smirked in a sexy way.

‘That’s exactly the same thing.’ Weiss thought, though decided not to press further.

“’Every whim’?” Issei repeated before snapping out of it, “Anything? No matter what it is?”

“Well, if they’re your servants, then yes, of course.” Rias answered, though wondered why that needed clarification. Why did he-

“UOOOOH YEEAHH!” Issei cheered, “I WANT TO BE A DEVIL!” He proudly declared as he took a victory lap around the room while Ruby and her teammates could only just stare at the biggest pervert they (regrettably) knew.

“Simple-minded.” Koneko simply said while Kiba just chuckled at his antics.

“Well, he’s taking it a lot better than us.” Yang spoke up as Issei danced.

“You’re taking it about as well as he is, you know.” Blake deadpanned.

“Oh, I’m actually freaking out on the inside and I’ll probably cry myself to sleep tonight for letting my little sister die and become Devils but right now I am actually really happy I have this.” Yang admitted as she showed Blake Bloodlust again, “I mean this thing is pretty awesome huh.”

“Yeah, and all it took was your life, nya.” Blake reminded her before Yang started laughing at her, “AND STOP LAUGHING AT MY TIC, NYA! GOD DAMN IT! OW!”

“You should probably stop saying that ‘God’ or do anything remotely holy.” Akeno suggested while thoroughly enjoying the quick jolt of lightning going through her spine, ‘Save it for later.’ She mentally added as she started planning on… “experimenting” with Yang’s Semblance, “He doesn’t like that and Devils are weak to anything holy, especially light.”

“Well, that explains the headaches…” Weiss mumbled out as she rubbed her forehead.

“I CAN THROW AWAY ALL OF MY HIDDDEN PORNO MAGS!” Issei shouted out while Weiss’ eye twitched at the sentence, before going into a depressed state, “…No I can’t do that. They’re my treasure and this and that are two different things…”

***BONK!***

“Have you no shame!” Weiss yelled out as she whacked Myrtenaster’s hilt into his head, “I mean, for the love of-I mean, God-OW!” Weiss growled at her mistake while everyone around them just chuckled.

“These people are quite interesting, aren’t they?” Rias said as she watched Weiss yell at the pervert ad the other members of this ‘Team RWBY’ laugh. It was certainly a complete change from earlier.

“So, when you said ‘Perhaps we’ll have an idiotic little brother soon and older sisters to discipline him’ this is what you meant.” Akeno replied, “Though we got the little brother, the older sisters…”

“I know. I know. Just let me work, okay?” Rias said before stepping forward, “So, what do you think? Are you willing to become my servant?” Rias asked with a smile.

“Yes, Rias-senpai!” Issei answered with a salute. Rias’ smile quickly turned into a stern frown.

“No! Remember, you have to call me ‘Buchou’ or ‘President’ for now on.” Rias told the pervert, “That goes to you as well, Team RWBY.”

“Wait, why? We aren’t your servants and we aren’t joining-“

“Whatever you say, President.” Ruby interrupted Blake, while her teammates just looked at her in confusion, “What? We know next to nothing about being Devils and they’re the only ones we can trust right now.” Ruby explained herself. Her teammates couldn’t really refute that logic but they were still going to watch out for them. They all trusted the Occult Research Club, they were just being cautious.

“That’s right. So, I’m guessing you’re accepting that you are my apprentice now?” Rias asked the Human King. Ruby nodded.

“Okay. I guess. Help me become a King.” Ruby said in a firm tone before faultering and added, “Whatever that means anyway. You still haven’t answered any of my questions, President!”

“All in due time, my young disciple.” Rias said, “And it’s ‘Rias-sensei’ when lessons begin.”

“President? Can I not call you ‘Onee-sama’?” Issei asked innocently. Weiss could only face palm at that while Rias was somewhere between flattered and concerned.

“Uhm, that doesn’t sound too bad, I guess.” Rias muttered before crossing her arms, “But since I’m using this school as an active territory, it’s fitting to call me President. And because of the Occult Research Club, everybody calls me that anyway.”

“So, that’s it then.” Blake said with a sigh.

“This mission has gotten really complicated.” Weiss mumbled out.

“You’re still thinking about the mission?” Yang questioned, wondering how their mission was so important to the Heiress after everything.

“Weiss, at this point our mission is just to survive one day of being a Devil.” Ruby said before wincing.

“These past few days have been rough.” Issei admitted before focusing on Rias, “Anyway, understood Buchou! Now, please tell me more about Devils!”

“Please tell _us_ more about Devils!” Ruby called out as she and her team put on determined expressions. Rias couldn’t help but smile,

“Good answer, you two.” Rias said before lifting both of their chins and giving them a sexy grin, “Very well, I’ll let both of you become man and woman.” Issei and Ruby looked at each other before Issei’s nose started spurting out blood while the blushing Ruby was pulled away and replaced by Yang.

“Lay one hand on her and you will be missing that hand. And arm. And torso. Got it?” Yang threatened as she cracked her knuckles. Issei, fearing for his second life, quickly nodded, “Good.”

“Hey, is there at least a chance we could go back to normal?” Weiss asked.

“No. All who are reincarnated into Devils die as Devils. Sorry Weiss.” Rias answered. The Heiress sighed and shook her head.

“It’s alright. I’m just getting rid of the last shreds of hope.” Weiss replied flatly. Rias quickly felt guilty but quickly pushed it into the back of her mind. It was necessary and she was certain they would understand after all was good and done. Although, she’ll have her peerage on standby just in case when she tells them, “Okay, there’s no going back to being human, so we might as well push forward!”

“Yeah!” Issei exclaimed, “We’ve been given a second chance. Let’s not waste it!” He then jumped up on the table and put his fist into the air, “I WANT TO BECOME THE HAREM KING!” He stood in that pose for several seconds as everyone stared at him.

‘He just wants a harem.’ Team RWBY thought as they looked at the shameless pervert, ‘He cares more about having a harem than his own life.’

“So… what should we do now?” Yang asked as Issei got down from the table.

“Well, first off, all of you must start accumulating achievements.” Rias explained, “The price paid for signing a contract with a human. This is the route Devils take to gain power. If your achievement is acknowledged, you may be awarded a title of nobility, enabling you to receive servants or peerage members, if you so incline.”

“’Title of Nobility’?” Ruby asked as she titled her head to the side, “What?” Rias pointed at the poster they had on a nearby wall that they had not noticed before entering the club.

“There are structured ranks among Devils, being separated between four classes: Ultimate-Class, High-Class, Middle-Class and finally Low-Class Devils. My family’s title is Duke, meaning we’re Ultimate-Class Devils. Though the title is usually related to your family, there are some Devils who achieve the title on their own.”

“Humans like Issei, who also became Devils, also have a chance.” Koneko spoke up before going back to her sweets.

“Huh, so do something amazing and get a title. Seem simple enough.” Yang said as she cocked her remaining shot-gauntlet, still having not figured out how to un-summon her Sacred Gear, “I do awesome things on a daily basis.”

“It’s a lot more complicated than that but yeah, that’s the basic gist of it.” Rias said while rubbing the back of her neck, “So, from now on, all of you have to start working hard.” She said with a wink, “Especially Issei and Ruby!”

“Yeah!” Issei and Ruby called out before realizing what she just said, “Wait, what?”

“Well…” Rias started as she looked away, “Here’s the awkward thing…”

“What is it?” Blake asked.

“Ruby was revived in a… unique way.” Rias continued, “You see, um, Ruby… well…"

“Come on, spit it out!” Weiss demanded.

“Weiss, Yang, Blake. You all serve under Ruby…” Rias said before waiting for their reactions.

“Uh… what?” Ruby asked with a confused look on her face,

“Yeah, Ruby, your teammates are your underlings. You’re a King. Kings are the leader of their peerage and it’s your peerage’s job to protect and serve you. Especially protect.” Rias explained.

“Wait, so you’re saying I,” Weiss said as she pointed to her partner-now-master, “I have to obey whatever she says!?”

“Well, technically no. All members of the peerage have free will and there will be nothing stopping them from doing something against their King’s wishes but it’s usually a wise decision to listen to your King. But, due to the unique way Ruby has been revived, I recommend letting me lead the peerage until I know Ruby can handle it on her own.”

“But, why? I’m the leader of my team!” Ruby called out, “I know my teammates like the back of my hand!”

“I’m sure you do, but you aren’t ready to lead a peerage yet. You don’t have the strength and experience. You shouldn’t even _have_ a peerage yet.” Rias said, “Ruby, you’ve been a Devil for only a few days, making you a Low-Class Devil. The first in fact. And here lies the problem with your revival. Humans aren’t _meant_ to be Kings yet. Usually, only High to Ultimate-Class Devils can get their own peerage. And usually, they have become strong enough to get a King piece along side with the piece they may already have.”

“And…” Ruby said, wanting Rias to continue, despite not really knowing what she was talking about.

“That means those who receive their King piece are already strong and do not require a lot of benefits and changes that usually entails when getting an Evil Piece. Maybe a large boost in how much Devil Energy they have, stamina and enhanced senses. But other than that, nothing really. Which means…”

“Ruby is technically still human in terms of changes.” Blake realized. Rias nodded at that, “Which means she’s the most vulnerable out of all of us here.”

“That’s basically it. Our Royal Pawn here may even be worse than an actual Pawn Piece.”

“HEY!” Ruby shouted out before pouting, “I’m not weak, you know! I can handle myself.”

“During the Initiation, you almost died and remember what happened with the Fallen Angels?” Yang said worryingly, “We’ll take care of the heavy lifting while you train with Rias.”

“But-“

“Don’t worry, we’ll be alright.” Blake said as she looked at her fellow peerage members.

“I’m not happy about this, but I’m not going to let anyone touch you.” Weiss said, “That’s a promise.” Ruby looked at her teammates and smiled.

“Thanks guys.” Ruby said before turning to the President, “Okay, Prez, what do you want my teammates to do.”

“Well, this is a task of great importance and is vital to both of our peerages. Failure and it could spell doom to not only your lives as Devils, but the entirety of our operations here in Kuoh.” Issei and the girls looked at each other before nodding.

“We won’t let you down, Buchou! Give us the mission!” Issei said proudly.

“Okay, your first ever missions as Devils of Rias Gremory & Ruby Rose, if you choose to accept it…” Rias started dramatically as they all leaned forward, “Is to pass these out.” Rias said as she showed them the boxes of Simple Pentagrams in the room. The RWBYs and Issei face faulted at that, “You know what they say,”

“All journeys start with a single blah blah blah, just give us the stupid fliers.” Yang grumbled as she took a stack.

(A few days later)

“Done!” Issei said as he threw the last empty box away. It was actually a lot quicker than he expected. Although he would do anything to gain his harem, there was also the fact that the girls were helping as well. And thanks to their looks, it was only a matter of time before they ran out. It was also worth mentioning that Yang figured how to deactivate her Sacred Gear. She was glad her gauntlets were safe.

“Already? Huh, impressive.” Rias stated.

“You know, I envy Ruby.” Weiss admitted as she made herself a cup of coffee, “At least she doesn’t have to deal with perverts.” She grumbled. Whoever made the skirts of Kuoh Academy’s uniform so short should be arrested. And that wasn’t counting how many times Issei looked at her ass.

“Okay then, let’s move onto the next step.” Rias said and before they could cheer, the President yelled out, “AKENO! I NEED YOU OVER HERE FOR THE SUMMONING CIRCLE!”

“Hey! Don’t yell!” Blake called out as she covered her ears. Although she appeared human right now, she still had the most sensitive senses than anyone else.

“Sorry, but I’m having Akeno test Ruby for me and they wouldn’t hear me if I didn’t.” Rias explained with a sweet smile. If on cue, there was an explosion before Ruby stumbled into the room with smoke coming out of her back, her uniform in ruins and sucking in breaths as if she almost drowned.

“I *pant* hate *pant* everything.“ Ruby couldn’t say another word as she collapsed face down on the floor.

“Oh my God, ow, is she alright!?” Yang exclaimed as she, Weiss and Blake checked on Ruby’s condition.

“She’s fine, just tired.” Akeno said as she walked into the room with a sweet smile before heading next to her Buchou.

“Don’t *pant* *pant* let Akeno *pant* hurt *pant* you…” And with that, Ruby went out like a light, exhausted from her test.

“Like I said before, she’s fine.” Akeno said with the same smile. But they knew it had subtly transformed into the smile of a sadist. A sadist they _did not_ want to mess with.

“So, yeah, what’s it about the next step?” Weiss asked as Yang put Ruby on the sofa. She hoped it was an upgrade from passing out flyers.

“Akeno, would you please?” Rias asked her Queen.

“With pleasure, my Buchou.” Akeno replied before closing her eyes and summoning what seemed to be a glyph underneath her feet, as words and symbols floated around her.

“Wh-What is she doing?” Yang asked.

“Right now, she’s engraving Issei’s inscription inside the summoning circle.” Rias answered, “It isn’t that long of a process and Akeno will engrave your inscriptions as well.”

“What do you mean by inscription?” Blake asked as she watched Akeno do her thing.

“Well, the best way to explain it would be to call it a proof of our relationship, after which this summoning circle will become the basis of all the magical power you’ll all be using.” She then grabbed Issei’s hand and put a symbol on his palm.

“What’s this?” Issei muttered.

“This is a tool that will allow you to utilize the summoning circle to teleport to your summoner.” Rias said before going ahead and giving the others the same symbol.

“If I were human…” Weiss muttered as she closed her hand into a fist. She couldn’t help but find irony in this. Schnee’s were summoners and she was the only one in her entire family to be the one being summoned. Who knew this was going to happen.

“Akeno, is it ready?” Rias asked, trying to ignore Weiss’ mutterings.

“Anytime you’re ready.” Akeno replied.

“So, who’s going first?” Rias asked the group. WBY quickly stepped back, leaving Issei in front.

“Good luck, Issei!” Weiss called out.

“You’ll do fine.” Blake said as she looked away.

“We believe in you!” Yang cheered out. They weren’t exactly avoiding going first because they were scared, they just wanted a bit more time before they went out and fulfill contracts. It was surprisingly tiring smiling and saying the exact same lines for the past few days for hours on end.

“Well, Issei, looks like you’re up first.” Rias said, “Step into the middle of the summoning circle.”

“Alright.” Issei said as he did just that. He felt a strong power coming from the diagram. It was slightly overwhelming but Issei quickly got over it and stood confidently in the circle, “Ready!”

“Okay, you’ll be using the summoning circle to be… summoned.” Rias said. She took a quick mental note saying that she could’ve worded that better before focusing back on her Pawn and Ruby’s peerage, “Do you all still remember what you have to do when you arrive?”

“Make a pact with your summoner.” Weiss started.

“Fulfill their wish.” Blake added in.

“And in exchange collect payment.” Yang finished off.

“What they said!” Issei said with a thumbs up.

“Have a safe trip Issei.” Kiba said as he and Koneko walked into the room.

‘Screw you, Prince!’ Issei thought before proudly declaring, “I’m off!” And with that, he closed his eyes and let the light envelop him, ‘Time to show my summoner what I’m made of!’ Issei thought as he opened his eyes, seeing a blurry figure in front of him as her reappeared, ‘That must my summoner. Time to make an entrance.’ “Are you the one who summoned me? Well then, tell me your wish!” Issei introduced himself the best as he could. When he didn’t hear a response, he opened his eyes…

And saw that he was still in the Occult Research Club. With Rias just looking at him in disbelief and Akeno just chuckling awkwardly.

Yang decided to greet Issei with a slow clap and a, “Boo…!”

“Why did President revive him again?” Weiss deadpanned as Issei looked around frantically, wondering why he was still here while Rias sighed and walked up to the Pawn.

“Well, that’s a shame…” Rias muttered, “Looks like you still can’t make the jump through.”

“Eh? Why!?” Issei exclaimed.

“In order to make the jump through the summoning circle, you must reach a certain level of power.” Rias answered as she rubbed her forehead in frustration, “Your magical level is too low, so the diagram isn’t activating at all…”

“But even so Issei most likely has a summoner so he has to get there somehow.” Blake pointed out. Rias sighed again.

“Although this is unheard of, you still have to make the trip… by foot.” Rias said.

“Wow, sucks to be you.” Yang said as she chuckled a little.

“Unsightly.” Koneko said, just ashamed she had to deal with this guy every day.

“Well, if you go by bike you could probably get there in twenty minutes.” Kiba suggested.

“What kind of Devil shows up on a bicycle after being summoned!?” Issei shouted out. They didn’t hesitate as Koneko and Blake pointed at him, “Oh come on!”

“Geez, hurry up! Getting a contract is a Devil’s job and the summoner is waiting!” Rias yelled at him. Issei just ran out of the club, sobbing that his awesome entrance was wasted. That’s when Ruby woke up.

“Huh? What’s happening?” Ruby asked as she got up. This gave Rias an idea.

“Well, your testing is finished. Why don’t you help Issei with his contract?” Rias said, “He certainly might need it.”

“I hate you, Rias-sensei.” Ruby mumbled before grabbing Crescent Rose and using her Semblance change into her battle outfit and dashed out the room.

“So I’m assuming we also can’t activate it.” Weiss said before sighing, “That’s just great.”

“Actually…” Rias said as she looked at Weiss, “Weiss, you go and do it. I’m sure it’ll work with you.” Weiss sighed again but stepping into the circle.

“This isn’t going to-“ No one heard the rest of Weiss’ sentence as she disappeared in a flash of light.

(Weiss’ Location)

“-Work.” Weiss finished before realizing where she was, “Okay… maybe it does…”

“Holy shit, this thing actually works.” Weiss jumped a little before turning around and seeing a 17 year old guy holding onto a Simple Pentagram Flier, “Um… hi…”

“Hello.” Weiss replied. There was a silence after that as they just stared at each other.

“Wanna play video games?” The guy asked. Weiss shrugged before following the guy into his room.

‘I wonder what the others are doing with their contracts.’ Weiss thought.

(Blake’s Location)

Blake couldn’t help but sigh. What girl would be desperate enough to summon a Devil to find out if some she likes has a boyfriend? Oh wait, she was right in front of her, “I keep telling you this, he has a girlfriend!”

“LIAR!” The girl cried out, “I WANT MY YAOI THREESOME!” Blake just groaned as the girl continued to cry. She decided to wait until she would give her the payment she owed her now,

‘I really wish Yang was here…’ Blake thought as she took a seat.

(Yang’s Location)

“I activate my Trap Card!” Yang proudly declared as she flipped the card over, “Mirror Force! All your face-up monsters in attack mode are destroyed!”

“Not so fast, Miss Devil!” Yang’s fellow duelist called out as the Brawler gasped dramatically, “I activate Dark Bribe! Mirror Force is negated but you get to draw a card! But it won’t matter as now that I activate another face-down, Super Polymerization! I discard one card from my hand, allowing me to fuse monsters on either field. I choose your Stardust Dragon and my Elemental HERO Ocean to bring out Elemental HERO Great Tornado!” He shouted out as he placed the Fusion Monster on the field, “And when Elemental HERO Great Tornado is Fusion Summoned, all monsters on your side of the field lose half of their attack and defense points! Now, Great Tornado, attack that 1150 ATK Junk Archer!”

“NO!” Yang exclaimed as she took 1650 points of damage,

“But I’m not done yet! I have _another_ Super Polymerization face down on the field! So I activate my other Super Polymerization and discard another card to combine Elemental HERO Great Tornado, Elemental HERO Nova Master and Elemental HERO The Shining to bring out Vision HERO Trinity, which comes out with double its original attack points, meaning it’s attack is a grand total of 5000! Now, The Shining’s effect triggers since it was sent to the graveyard, letting me get back two Elemental HEROs that were removed from play, so I choose Elemental HERO Prisma and Stratos! And although it can’t attack directly, I use Book of Moon to flip over your Marshmallon into defense mode face down before I activate Book of Taiyou and flip it back up except in attack mode so Trinity can attack it 3 times since it can’t be destroyed in battle. Sorry, but I just won! Trinity, attack with everything you’ve got!”

“NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!”

(Ruby & Issei’s Location)

“I feel violated.” Ruby and Issei said as they slumped down on the bench.

“That man really has issues, huh?” Ruby muttered as she shivered, remembering the experience, “And the worst part about it is, we didn’t fulfill his wish so the contract is void.”

“No, I think worst part about this is that we met him.” Issei said before sighing and looking up at the sky, “My first contract ever and I screwed it up so badly… You think Buchou will lecture us if we turn this thing in?”

“Probably.” Ruby said before they snapped out of it when they heard a cry of pain. Issei quickly got a nose bleed when he saw a pair of panties.

“Oh… why did I trip?” A young, blonde haired girl in a rather weird looking dress groaned as she tried to get up. Issei and Ruby quickly got off the bench and quickly helped her up.

“Are you alright?” Ruby asked she pulled her up.

“Ah, thank you very much.” The girl thanked as Issei saw a headdress on the ground and picked it up.

“Don’t worry. Is this yours?” Issei asked as he showed her the headdress. The girl quickly blushed, took it and put it on her head.

“Thanks.” The girl said as she looked at the very kind people in front of her.

‘Wow… she’s cute…’ Issei thought.

‘What a weird dress.’ Ruby thought as they stared at each other before Ruby & Issei all looked away. That’s when Ruby spotted a suitcase.

“What’s the matter?” The girl asked.

“Oh, um, your suitcase, it’s…” Ruby started before the girl noticed that her clothes were everywhere.

“Oh no.” The girl said before she went to picked up her clothes.

“Hey, we’ll help.” Issei said as he and Ruby started putting the clothes back into the suitcase.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it.” The girl said right before Issei picked up a pair of panties and just looked at them.

“Really, Issei?” Ruby said as she looked at the pervert with a judging expression.

“What?” Issei asked before the girl quickly took her panties out of Issei’s hands.

“AH! I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY!” The girl chanted out as she quickly stuffed everything the suitcase, not noticing Issei had gotten another nose bleed, before turning to the two, “Ahh… I'm so klutzy... You saw my...” The girl chuckled out nervously, looking a little winded from packing her suitcase so fast.

“It’s alright. As long as they're still clean.” Ruby said, before realizing why this girl has a suitcase, “Hey, are you going somewhere?”

“Um, yes, I’ve been appointed to a church in the city but I got lost along way…” The girl said as she searched for a tissue for Issei to use, “I’m not used to the language so it’s a little hard…”

“Yeah, it is. I just moved here myself a few weeks ago and I’m still getting used to the language.” Ruby said as she rubbed the back of her neck. She learned from Rias while the others were away that due to being Devils, language barriers were no longer a problem. Everyone spoke English to her and her peerage, “Wait, a church?” Ruby then looked at the girl’s clothing again and saw that there was a cross on her headdress and around her neck, “A-Are you a nun?”

“Yes, I’ve been one my entire life.” This actually worried Ruby. If she found out they were Devils…

“Well, if you’re looking for a church I probably know where it is. Come on, we’ll show you if you want to.” Issei offered. There was a sparkle in the girl’s eye as she looked at the two.

“For real!? Wow, the Lord really points the way!” The girl said happily as Issei and Ruby winced in pain.

“Yeah…” Ruby said as she looked away, “The Lord,” ‘Ow.’ “Our Savior,” ‘Ow.’ “God.” ‘Ow ow ow.’ “Definitely guides the way…”

“Um, are you two okay? What’s wrong?” The girl asked as she clutched her cross and pulled it towards them, hurting the two even more.

“We’re okay! It’s nothing! Nothing at all!” Issei called out while turning away from the girl so she would see his face in pain. They decided it would be best for their health to drop off the nun and get the hell away from her, despite how nice and cute she is.

“Let’s go!” Ruby said shakily, realizing the very presence of the girl was causing her pain. The girl worried and was about to ask again if something was wrong, until she heard a child crying behind her. She walked up the boy and saw that he skinned his knee.

“Are you okay? Boys shouldn’t be crying over things like this.” The girl said before she put her hand on the little boy’s knee. Suddenly, her hand glowed green as she quickly healed the boy’s injury.

“Whoa…” Ruby & Issei said as they watched the miracle.

‘Is that…’ Ruby thought.

‘Could it be…’ Issei thought as he looked at his hand.

‘A Semblance/Sacred Gear?’ They both thought at the same time.

“That’s…” Issei started.

“Amazing.” Ruby finished before they looked at each other.

“Right! Your wounds are healed, so you should be fine now.” The girl told the boy. He smiled brightly before he hugged her before pulling away.

“Yoshi-kun, where did you go?” A woman, presumably the boy’s sister or mother, called out as she ran up to the nun and boy.

“Ah, that onee-sama there! She healed my injury!” Yoshi said as he pointed at the girl. She smiled at feeling of helping someone.

“It looked like she fell, so I-“

“You shouldn’t be talking to strange people, let’s go.” The woman said while giving the girl a scowl. The girl just stepped back and stared at the face made at her.

“Hey, just wait a fu-“ Ruby started as she and Issei got ready to yell at the lady before the girl put a hand on both their shoulders.

“It’s okay.” The girl said, trying to get rid of her expression.

“Did you understand what she said?” Ruby asked as she glared at the lady.

“No, but I'm sure it wasn't important...” The nun said with a small chuckle before looking down sadly. Issei and Ruby saw this and knew the nun understood the woman, or at least knew what her eyes told her.

“Come on. Let’s go.” Ruby said before they started making their way to a nearby church.

“Thank you onee-sama!” The girl’s eyes widened as she heard the boy say something before looking at his direction.

“He said thank you, you know.” Issei translated. The girl smiled and waved back.

“Sorry, I get meddlesome sometimes.” The nun said as she playfully bonked her head.

“It isn’t something you should apologize for. Helping people is its own reward, no matter how people feel about it.” Ruby said, ‘Although, it would be nice to punch that bitch in the face.’ Ruby thought, completely aware Issei had similar thoughts.

“Well, being disliked is normal for me, I’m used to it.” The girl muttered.

“So, that weird thing with your hand…” Ruby said as she ran her hand through her hair.

“It’s my power of healing. It’s an amazing power granted to me by God.” The nun said. Issei stopped and looked down at his hand while Ruby looked up into the sky.

‘God, you are one cruel person, you know that.’ Ruby & Issei thought before wincing in pain.

“Well, let’s go then.” Issei said as he and Ruby started walking, “This way.”

“Yes, please take care of m-“ The nun didn’t finish as her suitcase opened up as she lifted it and caused her clothes to go everywhere, “Not again…” Ruby and Issei chuckled a little at the klutzy girl and helped her put her clothes back into the suitcase.

(A few blocks later…)

“Well, we’re here.” Ruby said as they walked up to the place. Though, once she and Issei entered its borders, a harsh chill went down their spines as they felt uncomfortable even looking at the cross that was on top of the place.

“Ah, this is it! I’m so glad!” the girl said, happy to see something familiar.

“Well, we’re always happy to help.” Ruby said while slowly trying to step away from the holy place, ‘Oh right, churches and shrines are enemy territory. We can’t enter it unless we either want to die or spark a war.’

“So, we’ll take our leave then. See ya!” Issei said as they tried to exit as fast as possible.

“Eh!? Please wait!” the nun said, grabbing them before they could leave, “You two have taken me all the way here, you should let me repay you both in kind. At least stay for tea.”

“Um, sorry but we actually need to be somewhere.” Ruby said. But then they looked at the nun’s innocent, sad face and were almost ready to give in and enter the church, only to be reminded by the crosses on the nun’s outfit and roof.

‘Yep, definitely impossible.’ They thought.

“Yeah, we’re really in a hurry but we can hang out some time later.” Issei offered, “I’m Issei Hyoudou. You can call me Issei.”

“And I’m Ruby Rose.” Ruby spoke up, “Er, and you are…”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I haven’t introduced myself yet.” The nun said, “I’m Asia Argento! Call me Asia!”

“Well, Asia, we’ll talk to you later!” Ruby called out as they walked away, causing Asia to smile.

“Yes! I hope we meet again soon, Issei-san, Ruby-san!”

(Occult Research Club)

“I don't care if you'll never see that nun again! Do **not** go near churches ever again!” Rias stated firmly, “It is enemy territory!”

“We know…” Issei & Ruby said between muttering apologies.

“Stepping into a church would become a major incident on both sides between God and the Devils, and next thing you know there will be light spears going through your guts daily!” Rias quickly winced as she saw their pained, but it had to be said.

“For real?” Issei groaned.

“Yes, for real!” Rias said before continuing her tirade, “And also, don’t even think about going near people with a relationship with the Church, especially Exorcists, who are our mortal enemies. They have been blessed by God, so they have enough power to destroy us. A Devil being hit by a divine holy power like that will be completely destroyed!”

“I think we-“

“With no hope of returning!” Rias interrupted Ruby, “Are we clear?”

“Yes, Buchou/President…” The two quickly apologized. Rias took a deep breath and ran her hand through her hair.

“Sorry about that, it’s just the heat wave and the fact that I care about you two. Just be more careful from now on, okay?” Issei & Ruby sighed before nodding.

“Are you done with the lecturing, Buchou?” Akeno asked as she walked into the room.

“I just finished. Why?” Rias asked. Things got tense when Akeno’s usual smile became serious.

“The Arch Duke has given us an order: Hunt down a Stray.”

(Stray Devil Location)

“So, this is the place.” Yang said as Team RWBY and the ORC walked up to an abandoned house. The RWBYs had switched from their uniform to their battle outfits and had prepared themselves for anything. Ruby, not wanting it to leave it anywhere alone, had brought along her chess set, which was attached to her belt, “Why are we here again?”

“We’re here for a Stray Devil.” Weiss answered, remembering it from the debriefing that Yang slept through.

“Thanks Weiss.” Yang thanked her partner before asking another question, “What’s a Stray?”

“They used to be servants of a Devil, but betrayed them and acted on their own, like a wild dog! There’s rumours that there’s a Stray here, hidden in this house who hunts and swallows humans at night.” Akeno said as everyone stared at the house, “And it’s our job to neutralize it.”

“The stench of blood…” Koneko muttered as she rubbed her nose.

“This place reeks of blood.” Blake noted, her nose wrinkling at the smell.

“Well, looks like this is a good chance to watch us Devils in battle.” Rias said as they entered the building, “I guess I should tell you about the traits of peerage members. This is important Ruby, so listen closely.”

“Yes Rias-sensei.” Ruby replied as she aimed Crescent Rose at every dark corner, waiting for this monster to show itself, before realizing what Rias just said, “Wait, traits? What do you mean by that?”

“I’ve already explained the whole situation with the Devils, Angels and Fallen Angels, right?” Rias asked. Team RWBY and Issei nodded, “During the war, all sides were suffering due to how long the war was. On the Devil’s side, we were losing numbers fast. Our populations were dwindling due to low birth rates and Pure Blooded Devils were close to extinction. So, we started a process to create more. The Evil Pieces.”

“I knew it. I knew we were evil.” Weiss grumbled.

“It’s just a name.” Rias said as she rolled her eyes, “No real good or evil, remember?”

“Shut up and keep going with the thing and tell us more about whatever the hell Evil Pieces are.” Yang said, being just as vigilant as Ruby.

“Okay. Ruby, give me your chess set.” Ruby raised an eyebrow before shrugging and handing it to her the chess set. Rias pulled out the Queen Piece from and showed it to the newly-reincarnated Devils, “Now, I’m sure all of you know about chess, right?”

“Yeah, it’s like Shogi, right?” Issei said as they walked through the halls.

“I… think so?” Blake guessed, having no idea what Shogi was, “Either way, we definitely know what chess is. Large chess pieces were items we had to retrieve back at our Initiation.”

“Okay. Well, you should already know that that about each piece, King, Queen, Knight, Bishop, Rook and Pawn. They all have their own unique traits.” Rias continued as checked inside a room, ‘Not here.’ “For the same reason, each peerage member undergoes training in a different ability. Although they don’t have many skills, they are very powerful in the ones they do know. It’s really popular, to the point where even now, as an Evil Piece, they are being used in a strength competition between Noble Devils, called ‘The Rating Games’.”

“Kinda sounds like the Vytal Tournament.” Weiss muttered as peeked inside a room, “Nope. All clear!”

“Simply speaking, it’s putting a servant of a King on the game board and do actual battle, like a large scale, live game of chess.” Rias said as she stood in front of a room that absolutely reeked with blood and dead flesh, “But it’s to the point where the Rating Games could affect a Devil’s position and nobility ranks.”

“Wait, you mean we could potentially fight in a game like that?” Ruby asked as everyone walked up to the door Rias was about to open.

“No. I’m not a mature Devil yet and you’re just a Low-Class King, so we can’t officially show up in the arena.” Rias answered before slowly opening the door.

“We haven’t appeared in that kind of arena either.” Kiba spoke up.

“Anyway, you need to meet certain requirements if you want to participate in a Rating Game. So you aren’t getting into the Game anytime soon.” Rias said as she looked into the dark room, “Anyway, I have more important things to focus on, like helping Ruby here become a good King.”

“You haven’t told us what unique traits we have, or even what piece we have.” Blake said as she covered her nose. The smell almost made her vomit, ‘I guess this is where the Stray is hiding.’

“Yeah, in the end, I just wanna know what Piece I am.” Issei admitted as they walked into the dark room,

“Issei, you’re a-“ Rias paused as she felt a presence in the room, “It’s coming.” Ruby and her teammates tensed as they all readied their weapons,

“God, this place stinks.” Yang said as she covered her nose, before wincing,

“I keep telling you to stop saying that.” Akeno said, ‘No matter how much I enjoy it.’

“Sorry, old habits die hard.” Yang said quickly before scanning the dark room, “Hey! We know you’re here! There’s no point in hiding, Stray!” Suddenly, Rias looked up and shouted out.

“Stray Devil Vizor! We are here to destroy you! Face your death with dignity!” Rias yelled out. Suddenly, something was falling from the ceiling and landed near Issei. The RWBYs and Issei quickly jumped away from it and saw what it was.

“A corpse…” Blake said as she studied it a little, “Shit.” She swore. The poor soul had probably died painfully as whatever this creature was ate her.

“ _What a nice scent_ …” Everyone stood their ground and looked forward as they saw _something_ emerge from the shadows, “ _Just like your hair_ , _your flesh must be fresh and red right_?” It said, revealing that fact that it was a woman who had no nipple and completely white eyes, “ _I really want to eat it_.” She said menacingly as she revealed her form.

“Wh-Wh-What the Hell is that thing!?” Weiss exclaimed as Team RWBY and Issei stepped away from the Stray while the others just looked at it with neutral expressions.

 “What an appearance that lacks etiquette. It fits you well.” Rias taunted, not even reacting to the Stray’s form.

“ _What a pretentious little girl_.” Vizor said, looming over the Devils with her giant lion(?) lower half, wielding a lance in each arm, “ _Should I stain you with fresh blood to match your hair_?”

“Th-The only blood that will stain this floor will be your own!” Ruby shouted out, trying to be brave but was honestly afraid of the Stray, having not faced anything like it, “I am Ruby Rose and I am a Devil! Prepare to suffer for your sins, you monster!”

“Like it will be a challenge.” Rias said off-handedly, “She is more bark than bite after all.” Vizor growled before lifting up one of her lances.

“ _You bitch_! _Die_!” Vizor shouted as she aimed her lance at the President.

“Yuuto, do you mind?” Rias asked.

“Of course.” Kiba said before running at the Stray.

“Huh!? Without a weapon!?” Ruby exclaimed, worried for the boy’s safety before turning to Blake, “Blake!”

“Don’t say even it!” The former dormant Youkai yelled out before charging at the Stray with her sole intent of killing it,

“Huh, sending your underlings first? Well, this should be easy.” Vizor said before charging at the two Knights. It was going to be a massacre.


	6. A Simple Unstoppable Force 1

Blake had learned a lot of things throughout the years. When she was in the White Fang, her time at Beacon and everything else before that. But there was one lesson she learned early on that really stuck with her to this day.

The world was one surprising, cruel son of a bitch.

Dying and becoming a Devil and suddenly being able to add or remove cat parts really hammered that home.

But then again, she training and working towards making the world a better place. For everyone. Her teammates, her friends, the innocent, everyone she wanted to protect. She was willing to die (again) if it meant Remnant would have a brighter future. That would’ve been her legacy, the legacy she wanted to leave when she eventually retired or when gets herself killed. She would die knowing she destroyed at least some evil in the world.

And this Vizor was definitely something that needed to be destroyed.

“Blake!” Ruby shouted out,

“Don’t even say it!” Blake called back before taking out Gambol Shroud and charging at the lion… woman… thing. Does Vizor count as a person considering how monstrous she had become?

Well, considering she just ate someone, she guessed it was no.

“Well then, I guess I’ll continue with the lecture then.” Rias said, knowing that Kiba & Blake wouldn’t have much trouble with the Stray, as she played with Ruby’s Queen Piece in her hand,

“Is this really a good time to do that!?” Ruby exclaimed,

“Don’t worry, they’re safe.” Rias reassured her fellow King, “You see; Blake & Yuuto’s roles are known as Knights. A Knight’s main ability is their speed, and both of them have it in spades.” Blake wasn’t listening to Rias’ lecture as she was dodging all the attacks Vizor threw at her. She felt faster, more agile, more flexible than before she became a Devil. Vizor wasn’t _close_ to touching her. And hadn’t even used her Semblance yet. Which reminded her she never used her Semblance after becoming a Devil. In her distraction, Vizor saw an opportunity and thrust one of her lances at her. Blake’s reflexes kicked in as she heard the attack coming. She quickly spawned a clone and jumped away, expecting the clone to take the hit.

Except it didn’t. It dodged.

To say she was stunned was an understatement, but right now it was time for a counterattack. She and her clone crouched down and got ready. “But Yuuto’s strongest weapon is…” Rias started with a smirk as she saw Yuuto summoning two swords, “A technique created by combining unpredictable speed and the mastery of swordsmanship.” And with that, both Blake and Kiba attacked. Issei and RWY gasped as in a flash Kiba had sliced off the arms of Vizor while Blake and her clone covered in cuts and gashes. As Vizor cried out in pain, Kiba and Blake looked at their handiwork,

“That was amazing Blake!” Kiba told the former dormant Youkai,

“Th-Thanks.” Both Blakes replied. They stared at each other as they realized Blake’s Semblance had changed, “Um…” They didn’t have time to talk about what the hell was happening to them when Vizor decided to try and crush them under her foot. Koneko didn’t say anything and pushed Kiba to the side before she raised her arms,

“What is she doing!? She’s gonna get herself killed!” Weiss shouted out,

“Not if I can help it.” Yang said as she flung herself into the action,

“Yang!” Ruby cried out,

“Koneko-chan!” Issei cried out as well, but Rias remained calm,

“Don’t worry. Koneko & Yang’s roles… are Rooks.” Rias explained,

“ _YOU LITTLE BUGS!_ ” Vizor angrily shouted out as she tried to smash her foot down, only to see that Yang and Koneko had caught her foot. They didn’t even look like they were putting in any real effort,

“Well, this is weird.” Yang commented as she held the foot up with one arm, “But kinda awesome.” She said with a smirk as the ground underneath them cracked,

“The Rook’s trait is that they have an insane offense,” Rias continued as Koneko and Yang threw the Stray off balance, both not noticing the tail coming right at them, “And an equally insane defense.”

“How do you like-“ Yang was interrupted when the snake tail hit her and Koneko and caused them to fly against a wall, “I… didn’t feel that.” Yang muttered, stunned as she and Koneko dropped to the ground. She looked at herself and saw that even her clothes didn’t suffer any damage, “That’s… really useful.”

“I’m sorry Vizor, but that level of attack won’t work well on Rooks.” Rias taunted the stunned Stray. In Vizor’s stunned state, Koneko & Yang looked at each other and nodded,

“Time to be blown away.” Koneko said as she jumped up and punched the Stray in the stomach and sent it straight into the air, sending her straight to Yang, who punched Vizor straight in the face. Both of them hit her with enough force to create a sonic boom upon contact. With that amount of force, Vizor crashed through a wall and into another room, leaving the Stray in a visibly bloody state and among rubble,

“ _How could this be… this band of youngsters…_ ” Vizor managed to say as she tried to get up,

“So weak.” Koneko whispered to herself as she rubbed her knuckles,

‘Mental note: Never get Yang or Koneko mad. Ever.’ Issei thought as he started sweating while the rest of the RWBYs just stared at Yang & Koneko’s display of strength,

“I wasn’t even trying!” Yang exclaimed happily as she landed back onto the ground, “Oh… I can’t wait to get back to Remnant.”

“If we ever go back to Remnant.” Weiss sighed, “Devils? Remember?”

“We’ll figure out something.” Yang said as she went back to the group,

“Like what?” Blake asked, having gotten rid of her clone during the demonstration of the power of a Rook,

“Something. But not right now.” Yang answered before turning to Rias, “Continue.”

“Thank you.” Rias said as she turned her gaze to Akeno, “And lastly, Akeno.”

“Yes, Buchou.” Akeno said happily while giggling. A little _too_ happily for the RWBYs’ liking, “Now, how should I do this? Weiss, do you mind helping me?”

“Um, sure?” Weiss replied hesitantly as she joined Akeno in approaching the Stray,

“Do you know any lightning magic?” Akeno asked,

“Er… no. I have Lightning _Dust_ if that’s what you mean.” Weiss answered. Weiss then saw the smile of sadist on Akeno face as soon as she mentioned ‘lightning’,

“Good enough.” Akeno said as they reached the Stray,

“ _Unforgivable_.” Vizor spat out, still struggling to get up thanks to all the injuries,

“Ah? Still so energetic, are you?” Akeno said sadistically as she stared down the Stray before turning to Weiss, “Weiss, ready your lightning. I think Mr. Vizor here needs to be taught a _lesson_.” Weiss didn’t say anything else, mostly because she was scared out of her mind of the vice president right now, so she just activated the Lightning Dust in Myrtenaster, “In that case, is this level of attack okay?” Akeno asked sweetly as both she and Weiss proceeded to shock the living hell out of the Stray,

“Akeno’s role is Queen. Having all the abilities of a Knight, Bishop, Rook and Pawn, the invincible club vice president.” Rias said as she showed the group Ruby’s Queen Piece while Issei and RWB just looked on in shock (pun intended) as they saw Weiss doing everything she can to keep the lightning up and Akeno looking like she was _getting off_ to the pain she’s inflicting. Blake swore she could actually smell Akeno’s arousal past the smell of burning flesh,

“Ah, looks like you can still continue. How long can you keep this up?” Akeno asked the now charred Stray while Weiss fell to her knees, feeling thoroughly drained of her energy,

“Akeno specializes in attacking her opponents with magic power. Weiss should be the same due to her being a Bishop, though not as powerful as Akeno.” Rias continued to explain as Weiss walked back to the group,

“It feels like Akeno-san is even more fearsome!” Issei exclaimed,

“She’s gonna do it again!” Ruby shouted out as she saw Akeno lick her lips,

“Of course.” Rias said with a smirk as Akeno raised her arm, lightning coming from her finger tip, “Akeno is the Ultimate Sadist after all.” And with that, Akeno summoned a rather large lightning bolt upon Vizor, enjoying the horrible screams of pain coming from the Stray,

“It’s okay, Vice Buchou is very gentle with her enemies.” Kiba informed the newly reincarnated Devils. While Weiss, Blake and Yang processed that little factoid, Ruby & Issei only stared at Kiba, before looking at Akeno and the pile of smoking charred flesh, before looking back at Kiba,

“Is that what you call gentle?” Ruby & Issei asked as they pointed at the scene,

“For Akeno, yes.” Rias answered,

“That does not make me feel better.” Yang muttered just as Akeno finally stopped shocking the Stray,

“It seems like that’s still not enough. I’ll let Buchou & Ruby have the final blow.” Akeno said as she walked back to the group. When she approached however, the RWBYs stepped away from her, “What?”

“Nothing!” Ruby quickly said before whistling while looking away,

“You stay away from me.” Weiss threatened as she pointed her weapon at Akeno,

“Uh…” Blake managed to get out while slowly making her way to the exit,

“MY SEMBLANCE DOESN’T INVOLVE PAIN!” Yang shouted out suddenly before coughing awkwardly, “I mean, uh, er, what…?” Akeno raised one of her eyebrows at the RWBYs before shrugging,

“Oh, you’re all safe.” Akeno told the team, allowing them to sigh in relief, before she looked at Yang, “It’s Yang that I’m interested in. How about after we… test what your Semblance is?”

“Wh-Why don’t I just sh-tell you about it?” Yang asked nervously. Akeno looked thoughtful for a moment as she contemplated Yang suggestion,

“You could… but a live demonstration will be much more ‘educational’.” Akeno replied, some lightning jumping across her finger tips, “What do you say?”

“I think I’ll pass.” Yang said, not wanting to interact with Akeno any longer,

‘Don’t worry, I’ll find a way.’ Akeno thought with a smirk,

“Uh, excuse me, but we still have a Stray to neutralize.” Rias spoke up, getting the attention of everyone,

“R-Right.” Ruby said with a nod before the two Kings approached the Stray, “Any last words?”

“ _Kill… me…_ ” Vizor rasped out. Ruby couldn’t help but wince at the sorry state of the Stray,

“Do you want me to do it?” Rias asked Ruby. Ruby looked at her scythe before shaking her head. Vizor needed to die, “Okay then.” Rias said as she stepped back and let Ruby pressed the Sniper-Scythe against Vizor’s head,

“You’ve paid for your sins. Any regrets?” Ruby had to ask,

“ _Not killing all-_ “ Ruby didn’t let Vizor finish as she pulled the trigger and blew Vizor’s head off. Ruby wiped the blood off her clothes as she went back to the group while Rias used Dust to Dust to get rid of the body,

“So… that… was a thing.” Yang mumbled as there was now an awkward silence in the air, “I guess.”

“It certainly was.” Blake muttered,

“Yeah.” Weiss replied, unable to think of anything else to say,

“Definitely was.” Ruby said, still a little shaken up from everything that just occurred,

“It’s over. Good job everyone.” Rias said as she dusted off her hands, “Let’s go back and have tea.”

“By the way Buchou…” Issei spoke up,

“Hmm, what is it?” Rias asked as she turned to the new member as she gave Ruby back her Queen Piece,

“We were interrupted earlier. What’s my Piece?” Issei asked, having felt like he had done enough waiting to find out that little crucial piece of information that was kinda important for his future in Rias’ peerage,

“Yeah, it would be nice to know.” Blake admitted, the others wondering what Issei’s role was,

“Hm? Ah, I forgot. Issei, your role…” Rias paused for dramatic effect, “Is Pawn.” The RWBYs and Issei stared at the Gremory, remaining silent as they processed the information,

“Please don’t say it.” Issei said, breaking the silence,

“What? That you’re literally the lowest ranking out of all of us?” Yang asked,

“That.” Issei groaned. It was going to be a long journey to become the Harem King for him,

“Don’t worry about it.” Rias reassured her Pawn, “Ruby’s much worse than you. She’s just a glorified Pawn.”

“Yeah!” Ruby called out, trying to cheer Issei up, before realizing what Rias just said, “Wait what?”

(One Week Later)

“So you’re doing this so you can touch Prez’s boobs?” Ruby deadpanned as she and Issei walked together to the destination of their next contract, “You have reached a new level in shame.” After dealing with the Stray Devil, it had become somewhat formulaic. Her teammates were being taught by those with the same or similar pieces. Weiss was getting taught some magic by Akeno now since she was the closest to a Bishop they could get currently, Blake was training with Kiba and Yang and Koneko would spar outside of school and the club. Her teammates and Issei would do grunt work while she trained with Rias, learning everything she needed to know about being a King as well as developing her new Devil powers. Occasionally, Rias would order Ruby to go with Issei or the other members when they went out to fulfill contracts to gain some experience as well as to get to know the others better. For some reason though, Ruby could only managed to find a spark of friendship in Issei out of all people. Kiba just made her nervous, Akeno scared her and Koneko wasn’t exactly a big talker. Although he was a pervert, he had his redeeming qualities. A hard worker, no matter how weird the contract was, and a genuinely nice person who cared about the well being of others, though she did note the slight bias towards pretty girls. Ruby had to admit, she actually wouldn’t have minded having Issei as a friend if he attended Beacon. He reminded her so much of Jaune.

Although he was still an irredeemable pervert with little to no chance of ever getting a girlfriend, and like hell she had _any_ romantic feelings towards him, but at the end of the day she could call him a friend at the very least.

Though, if he did anything to her, she would cut off his balls and make him eat them.

“Hey! I’m still a growing teenage boy! How can I not turn the chance to touch Buchou’s breast down?” Issei said, “Plus, this is surprisingly fun to do.”

“I gotta admit, the people we meet are really fun.” Ruby agreed, “Well, apart from Mil-tan.” Ruby & Issei shuddered as they remembered the experience, “There is something seriously wrong about that person.”

“No kidding.” Issei muttered. They talked a little bit more about homework and stuff, slapped Issei a few times for looking at her chest before they reached their destination,

“Is this the place?” Ruby asked. Issei pulled out the contract and checked the address,

“Yep.” Issei answered as they approached the house. Ruby noted that all the lights were off in the home, though didn’t think much of it, “Hello? Is anyone here? I’m Gremory-sama’s underling and I have her apprentice with me.”

“Someone left the door open.” Ruby noted. Her eye narrowed before she and Issei took off their shoes and entered the house, “Issei, I don’t like this.”

“Yeah, I’m getting-“ Issei stopped his sentence as he noticed something, “Hm… this… this smell…”

“I-Issei!” Ruby cried out as she pointed at something. Issei jumped at Ruby’s sudden yelling before looking where Ruby was pointed and gasped.

Someone had nailed someone against the wall and put them in a position as though they were an upside-down cross.

“Wh-What?” Issei said as they stared at the body,

“Wh-Wh-Who would do such a thing?” Ruby whispered out as they stepped away from the corpse,

“That would be me.” A voice from behind them said. Ruby and Issei quickly turned around and saw who it was. A young man with short white hair and red eyes and dressed in clerical clothing, “I’m a Priest, a young Priest~” He sang out,

“What is with this guy?” Ruby muttered to herself before she realized something, “Wait, did he just say he’s a Priest!?” Suddenly, the words of Rias Gremory echoed inside their heads.

 _Don’t even think about going near people with a relationship with the Church!_  
They have been blessed by God, so they have enough power to destroy us. A Devil being hit by a divine holy power like that will be completely destroyed!  
With no hope of returning!

‘Shit.’ They both thought as they at each other worryingly. Though, that quickly turned into confusion as the guy continued to sing about how he’ll kill all the Devils, especially them and junk like that, ‘Is this guy seriously a Priest?’

“And, uh… you are…?” Ruby hesitantly asked. He danced his way over to them before giving them a mad smile,

“I’m Father Freed Sellzen.” Freed said, “And you two are Devils.”

“W-What are you doing here?” Ruby asked as she looked at the corpse nailed to the wall, having a feeling this was not going to go well,

“Why, to kill that fellow over there, of course.” Freed answered happily as pointed at the corpse,

“Huh? Wha-Wait? YOU DID THAT!?” Issei yelled out as Ruby’s eyes widened, “What the Hell? Why would you do that to someone!?”

“Because he was a repeat offender.” Freed answered simply, as though it was obvious,

“What?” Ruby growled,

“Yes yes! A repeat offender!” Freed said, “Ahh? You two are Devils and yet you still don’t understand? All idiots will die, you know? All humans who sign contracts with Devils are trash! There’s no reason for them to live on!”

“Wait, you’re human too. Aren’t you supposed to, I don’t know, _protect_ humans from us!?” Ruby shouted out, angry at this so called Priest. Freed could only laugh at their faces,

“That’s funny! That’s really funny! Even a Devil has to give me a lecture!” Freed laughed out before it slowly died down, “Listen well, you shitty Devils.” He said before he started kicking the head of the corpse, “You feed on human desire, right? The humans who provide subsistence can’t be called human anymore. Therefore, I kill them before they’re tainted even further. Kindness! THIS IS KINDNESS!” Freed shouted out as he crushed the skull further,

“You…” Issei growled as he clenched his fists. Ruby didn’t say anything. She _couldn’t_ say anything.

All she wanted to do was to wipe this guy off the Earth.

“Oh? You mad, shitty Devils? A human waste who was killed makes a partner of human waste angry?” Freed taunted,

“You. Shut. Your mouth. Now.” Issei said slowly, now glaring at the “Priest”,

“Go to fucking Hell, you son of a bitch.” Ruby growled as she pulled out Crescent Rose,

“Good!” Freed said with a mad smile, “It’s now a good time to kill you too! Arguing with shitty Devils is pissing me off.” He then pulled out a sword and a gun. Ruby & Issei took a step back as they saw the crosses on the weapons, “Cha-ching! Which weapon I use to finish you off, Mr & Ms Shitty Devil? I’m trying to break the world record of turning in swiss cheese, and this is the world record for cutting you into thin capellini!”

“Issei, let me handle him.” Ruby whispered to the Pawn,

“What?” Issei asked, surprised,

“I have a chance. You go and find Rias or anyone in the ORC.” Ruby said,

“I’m leaving you alone to fight this guy.” Issei said as he got into a battle stance,

“Issei, I’m being serious!” Ruby growled, “Go and-“

“Time’s up!” Freed called out, “Here’s a big discount for Mr & Ms Shitty Devil! I’ll use both!” He shouted out as he jumped at them,

“Shit!” Ruby cried out as they both jumped out of the way, “That was-AH!” Ruby looked down and saw she got shot in the leg. She looked and saw Issei had also gotten shot. Ruby was about to help but suddenly the pain from the shot intensified, “Issei!”

“Those were holy bullets, weren’t they?” Issei groaned in pain,

“Correct! Does it hurt? Hey, it hurts doesn’t it!?” Freed shouted at them,

“Shut up!” Ruby called out before transforming Crescent Rose in its Sniper form and shooting at the Priest. The guy turned out to be really good at dodging her bullets. That, or the pain was screwing with her aim. Either way, she was missing,

“DIE! DIE YOU SHITTY DEVILS! TURN INTO DUST AND GO UP IN THE AIR! JUST FOR MY PLEASURE!” Freed shouted out manically as he charged at them,

“We’re gonna die!” Issei cried out,

“NO!” Ruby shouted out as she braced herself for pain. Suddenly, she heard a thud and felt no pain other than the one from the bullet wound. She stopped covering her face to see what happened.

It was Asia. She had tackled Freed before he could attack them.

And… her dress came undone and revealed her bra. If it wasn’t for the excruciating pain running through their bodies, Ruby would’ve gave Issei a glare if he even dared looking at the nun’s chest.

“Hey, that was dangerous! You were almost split into two!” Freed scolded the nun, “Have you finished preparing the trap, Asia-chan!?”

“Please stop! Why did you have to do this to Issei-san and Ruby-san!?” Asia said, demanding why Freed would attack her friends,

“…Eh? You know these two?” Freed deadpanned before a suggestion came into his mind, “That’s funny! Is this a forbidden love triangle between two Devils and a nun?”

“Issei-san & Ruby-san are Devils…?” Asia asked, stunned at the revelation,

“Asia…” Ruby groaned as she tried to stand up, but the holy bullet in her leg was preventing any movement,

“That’s right, you know? These guys are the shittiest of the shitty Devils!” Freed told the shocked Asia, “What, didn’t you know before? Ah forget it, soon these shitty little Devils will turn into similar works of art.”

“What?” Asia asked before turning to see the dead corpse on the wall and gasping, “N… No! YAHHH!”

“Is this Asia-chan’s first time seeing a corpse?” Freed asked with a mad smile, “Then take a good look! Any human waste who is mesmerized by a Devil will be sent to Hell this way.” By now, Issei & Ruby were shaking in rage,

“This bastard…” Issei growled as he clenched his fists. Ruby was still trying to get up but the holy bullet was affecting her a lot more than she would’ve thought,

“Get up. Get up.” Ruby told herself as she tried to, but the light now running through her veins were weakening her. She couldn’t even feel her leg at this point,

“No… no way…” Asia whispered out as she covered her mouth,

“Asia… I’m sorry…” Ruby said quietly as she and Issei shut their eyes in shame,

“That’s the way it is. If we don’t cut down these Devils, we won’t be able to complete our job.” Freed told the nun, “Asia-chan, hurry up and get back into position and deploy your trap, okay?” The nun looked at Issei and Ruby before looking at Freed. She frowned at the “Priest” before standing in front of the Devils, “Er, hey, Asia-tan. Do you know what you’re doing right now?”

“…I understand!” Asia called out, “Father Freed! Please let them go!”

“Asia…” Ruby groaned before finally having the strength to stand up. Issei followed quickly as he stood up,

“I don’t like this. Just because the person was led astray by the Devil, and using that reasons to kill people and as well as Devils…” Asia said before shouting out at the top of her lungs, “THIS IS WRONG!”

“AHHH!? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT YOU SHITTY NUN!?” Freed shouted back as he lifted Asia by her collar, “ALL DEVILS ARE SHITS! DIDN’T THEY TEACH YOU THAT IN CHURCH!? ARE YOU SUFFERING BRAIN DAMAGE!?”

“THERE ARE SOME GOOD PEOPLE WITHIN DEVILS!” Asia tried to yell louder than Freed,

“NOT AT ALL, IDIOT!” Freed yelled back,

“I-I thought that before… but Ruby-san & Issei-san aren’t like that!” Asia continued to argue as Freed trembled with rage, “Even if I know they’re Devils, they’re still my friends! Killing people is unforgivable! This… This! The Lord doesn’t allow th-“ She didn’t finish her sentence as Freed just pistol-whipped her in the back of her skull,

“ASIA!” Issei & Ruby called out before glaring at “Priest”. They tried to move but they stopped as soon as they saw Freed point his gun at Asia’s chest,

“Even though nee-san told me not to kill you… that means, while I won’t kill you, I could still do whatever I want with you. Something similar to ra-“ Suddenly, there was a click behind his head,

“Finish that, and I finish you.” Ruby growled, ready to blow Freed’s brains out with Crescent Rose, “Get off her. Now.”

“All right, I need to kill you two first.” Freed said with a mad grin on his face, before he quickly turned around and hit Ruby in the face with the gun, sending her to the floor and throwing Crescent Rose somewhere. Ruby spat out some blood before slowly standing up,

“I won’t let you touch Asia.” Ruby said as she wiped some blood from her mouth,

“And like Hell I will too.” Issei said as he cracked his knuckles,

“I’d rather die before I let you.” They both finished, ready to fight the “Priest”,

“Then, not to let you die quickly, I’ll kill you all slowly!” Freed shouted out as he charged at them, “RIGHT, I HAVE TO BEAT MY WORLD RECO-“

He was then interrupted by a fist to the face. Which he ran into.

“Sorry, your record’s just been broken.” Yang said as she wiped the blood off her knuckles, “Along with your nose.”

“What the-?” Issei started before he saw Kiba, Akeno, Koneko, Weiss and Blake appear in the room, “Guys?”

“Everyone!” Ruby exclaimed,

“Just leave everything to us.” Akeno said sweetly, indicating her Ultimate Sadist mode activating, while Yang and Weiss checked on Ruby’s injuries,

“Greetings, Devil group!” Freed shouted out as he tried to attack the group with his sword, only for the attack to be blocked by Blake & Kiba,

“Attacking just that, it’s ungentlemanly. You’ll be disliked by a lot of people, especially the ladies.” Kiba said before he and Blake pushed Freed away,

“Ah? Do I have to introduce myself again? So disgusting. Just ask those wavering Devils there, since they’re gonna die soon, so please do it earlier.” Freed said before went and attacked the two Knights. They quickly dodged his attacks before they launched a counter,

“Sorry, but I can’t allow you to kill Hyoudou-kun & Rose-chan in a place like this!” Kiba shouted out as he slashed his two swords at the “Priest”. Blake quickly spawned a clone to try to add more pressure on Freed, but he just kept dodging with ease,

“That’s really hot! So, what’s the relationship between all of you? Which one’s the pitcher and which one’s the catcher?”

“You’re disgusting!” Blake called out, before taking note of Freed’s outfit, “And you’re supposed to be a Priest?”

“From his vulgar mouth, I’m guessing he was excommunicated from the Church.” Kiba guessed, “A Rouge Exorcist.”

“A real Priest wouldn’t rape someone.” Ruby growled, before wincing as Weiss managed to get the bullet out of her leg,

“You sure about that?” Issei asked, only to be glared at by the RWBYs,

“WHO CARES!?” Freed shouted out, “So what if I was excommunicated!? As long as I kill you under the protection of Fallen Angel-sama, then I’ll be satisfied!” Ruby’s eyes widened at the mention of a Fallen Angel. Suddenly, she started having flashbacks to the day she and her teammates died,

“N-No.” Ruby mumbled quietly as she clutched her head as she shook her head, “No no no no no!”

“Hm? Looks like Ms Shitty Devil has a fear of Fallen Angels. How appropriate.” Freed noted with mad grin as Weiss & Yang tried to calm their King down,

“Over-zeal in hunting Devils and the excitement it brings causes the excommunication of Priests.” Akeno explained, “He seems to be the type that’s most harmful to us.”

“There’s no point to talk about the reasons with you group of bloodsucking shit bags.” Freed said. Akeno only glared at the insane Priest,

“Even if we are Devils, we still have rules and limits.” Akeno said firmly. Freed only seemed to get aroused by Akeno’s cold stare,

“Hyu~! That’s right, that’s right~ Onee-san’s stare! What killing intent, it’s so good to be alive! Ahh~ I can’t take it anymore! I’m getting hard between my legs!” Freed cried out joyously,

“You’re a psychopath.” Yang growled as she glared at Freed with red eyes, which only got him even more aroused. Yang almost decided to test out her Sacred Gear on him when Rias came into the scene,

“Well, shall I turn you to ashes then?” Rias said as she walked into the room,

“Rias-sensei.” Ruby groaned as Weiss & Yang helped her up,

“One right after another…” Freed muttered, “I’ll kill all of you, can you all line in order?” Rias ignored the Priest as she went up to Issei & Ruby,

“Ruby, Issei, I’m sorry. I didn’t count on an Exorcist to show up in the home of a summoner.” Rias apologized before going down to check their injuries, “Are you two hurt badly?”

“Well, apart from the fact that we got shot, we’re fine.” Ruby answered,

“Yeah, sorry for getting shot, Buchou.” Issei said sheepishly,

“Hey, it’s my fault we got shot.” Ruby spoke up, “If I was only faster…”

“It doesn’t matter.” Rias said as she stood up and glanced at Freed, “It seems like my underling and apprentice were under your care?”

“Yes y-es, I really took care of them.” Freed said, “At first I planned to slice and dice one Devil, but then a whole group decided to show up.” He would’ve continued, if not for the section of a wall behind him disappearing, “Oh.”

“For me, I can’t allow anyone to harm my property, especially an extremely vulgar person like you.” Rias said. The RWBYs and Freed looked through the hole and saw the path of destruction Rias caused,

“Remind me to _not_ make Rias angry.” Yang said,

“Noted.” Issei and RWB replied. Akeno looked out the window and saw something coming towards them,

“A group of what looks like to be Fallen Angels are approaching!” Akeno informed the group,

“How many?” Blake asked,

“A lot.” Akeno answered. By now, Ruby was hyperventilating. She didn’t want to face anymore Fallen Angels. She’d rather die by Grimm than die by Fallen Angel again, “If we stay, we’re going to be at a disadvantage!” Rias cursed. They could fight but more than likely Issei or some of the RWBYs would die in the process, especially since they had two injured,

“Yang, you get Ruby. Kiba, you get Issei!” Rias ordered, “Akeno! We’re leaving, get the transportation ready!”

“Yes, Buchou.” Akeno said as she started preparing their escape,

“Buchou, let’s bring this girl back with us!” Issei said as he put his jacket of Asia,

“That’s not possible. Only Devils who are part or at least related to my peerage can use pentagrams.” Rias informed her Pawn,

“Well, we can’t just leave her with the F-Fallen Angels!” Ruby argued before glaring at the excommunicated Priest, “Yeah, we can’t leave her alone!”

“Issei, Ruby.” Rias said quietly, “She’s the enemy.”

“No, she isn’t.” Ruby said as she glared at her fellow King,

“Even so…” Issei started as he clenched his fists, “But even if that’s the case, Asia still protected us even though she knew we were Devils.”

“We aren’t leaving her here.” Ruby said, “Because…”

“Because…” Issei repeated before they both gave Rias serious looks past the tears they were shedding,

“She’s my friend!” They both yelled out, “I won’t leave Asia alone!”

‘Issei-san… Ruby-san…’ Asia thought as she looked at her two friends,

“Ruby…” Yang whispered out as she saw her sister protecting the nun,

“You dolts! We need to leave!” Weiss exclaimed as she shoved Crescent Rose into Ruby’s hands,

“Then leave us behind! We’ll-“ Issei didn’t even get to finish that sentence as Rias slapped both him and Ruby in the face,

“Ow! What was that for!?” Ruby called out,

“You need to think rationally! If you two stay, you die.” Rias firmly stated, “And don’t worry about the girl, they won’t kill her. To Fallen Angels, there’s no reason for them to kill.”

“President, at least try-“

“The best plan right now is to leave.” Rias interrupted Ruby. Issei and Ruby looked at Asia before sighing sadly,

“We understand.” Ruby said quietly,

“Buchou, the preparations are complete!” Akeno announced,

“Yang, help me up. I can’t walk like this.” Ruby said. Yang nodded before picking her half-sister up,

“Damn it! I won’t let you escape!” Freed shouted out as he charged at the Devils, only for Koneko to throw a couch at him,

“Let’s get out of here!” Blake shouted out as Kiba and Yang carried the two injured Devils into the circle,

“Hurry up, now!” Rias ordered,

“Yes, Buchou!” Akeno responded as she activated the circle,

“Asia…” Issei muttered as he and Ruby looked worryingly at her,

“Issei-san, Ruby-san…” Asia said as she looked at her friends before smiling with tears in her eyes, “We have to meet again.” Issei & Ruby couldn’t help but start crying when they saw Asia’s face,

“We promise.” They both told her before the circle activated and teleported the Devils back to the clubroom,

“We’re safe.” Akeno said as Yang & Kiba put Ruby and Issei on the couch. When everyone else left to get the necessary equipment to heal the two of the wounds, they both looked at each other and nodded,

“Asia.” Ruby muttered as she looked at her hand, before clenching it into a fist, “We’ll definitely come back for you. Just wait for us.” She then looked at Issei again and they both knew what their goal was for now.

They weren’t going to leave Asia alone again.

(The Next Day)

‘What are we going to do?’ Ruby thought to herself as she waited for Issei to finish his shower. She and Issei had stayed over at the clubroom for the night since they couldn’t exactly go back home with the injuries they had. Yang did offer to carry Ruby back to the apartment but Ruby, for some reason, had declined. After a few threats to Issei’s manhood, everyone had left them alone to rest apart from Rias, who felt responsible for letting them get shot by holy bullets. So she stayed over. That night, they quietly discussed about what was going to happen next and how they would save Asia before went to bed. It was early morning now and she was now just waiting for Issei to finish his shower so she could clean herself. She still had the smell of death on her. While trapped in her thoughts, she didn’t notice Rias slipping into the showers while Issei was showering. She snapped out of them when Issei called out to her, saying that it was her turn now. She sighed, grabbed her spare set of clothes and everything she needed to clean herself with before limping to the shower. She passed by Issei, who was dressed in his casual clothes, and looked a little depressed, “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Huh?” Issei said, just noticing her presence. He just sighed and rubbed the back of his head, “Nothing.”

“Hey, we’re gonna save Asia from the Fallen. It’s a promise.” Ruby said as she patted Issei on the back, “Just give it a bit of time. We’ll figure out something.” Issei just sighed before heading over to the couch and sitting down. Ruby sighed as well before she made her way to the shower and started taking off her dirty clothes, not noticing that Rias was behind her. She stayed silent as Ruby showered before deciding to make her presence known,

“I’m sorry.” Rias spoke up, freaking Ruby out. Without thinking, Ruby gathered up some of her Devil energy and blasted a small shot out at her. Rias didn’t even dodge and let it hit her. As soon as it touched her bare skin, it dissipated harmlessly. Rias couldn’t help but sigh, “You’re getting better, Ruby, but you still don’t have control over your powers.” Rias noted,

“Why are you here!?” Ruby demanded while covering her private parts, “And why are you naked!?”

“I’m here to apologize, and it wouldn’t make sense to go into the showers with your clothes on. Plus…” Rias explained before she stopped and looked at the bullet wound on Ruby’s leg. Before she knew it, Ruby’s face turned a deep red as Rias started hugging her leg,

“Wh-What are you doing?” Ruby squeaked out,

“I’m giving some of my power to heal your wound. So don’t move.” Rias said. Ruby was too mortified to move as she let her fellow King put her power into the bullet hole. She felt better, there was no doubt about that, but there had to be some other way to heal other than skin-to-skin contact,

“Hey, that Priest from before, Kiba called him a Rouge Exorcist or something like that. What is that?” Ruby asked, wanting to focus something other than the situation right now. Rias sighed. She was going to have to repeat herself,

“With Exorcists, there are the proper ones on the side of the divine as well as the heretics who serve the Fallen Angels.” Rias explained, “The ones who were expelled by God, the heretics who joined the Fallen Angels, are the Rouge Exorcists. They, along with the Fallen Angels who want to destroy the Devils, have the same useful relationships. Naturally, that’s why both sides would team up. Anyway, like I told Issei, try not to get involved with any of them.” Ruby sighed. It more than likely that if she wanted to save Asia, she would have to get very involved with everything. But, it was going to be worth it considering it was for a friend in need, “I’ve given emergency aid, but you still have to be careful and rest, you hear?”

“Sure thing, Prez.” Ruby muttered as she checked the wound. It didn’t hurt anymore and she was sure she could walk properly, but it still looked nasty, “Still, that guy was a nut. I don’t think anyone would get so… excited just from killing people.” She looked down at her hands, images of Asia flashing through her mind, “Asia… damn it, why can’t protect one person let alone myself…”

“Forget about her!” Rias shouted out frustrated that Ruby was being exactly like Issei about the issue, “We and that girl are on opposite sides of existence! If you really want to get involved with her, it won’t be just your blood being spilled!”

“’We and that girl’ huh?” Ruby repeated, “I’m sorry, but I think you’re missing the fact that I USED TO BE HUMAN! What? Is it not in a Devil’s nature to care about someone, no matter what they are? Who they are? What they believe in!?”

“Ruby, I understand you’re-“

“Look, I know you care about our safety, but at the end of the day, what do you know about me really? What makes you think you understand me? You aren’t even a human to begin with and before knowing all of this, the Devils, and the Angels and all this stupid junk; I would’ve gladly killed you if you dared hurt my friends.” Ruby pointed out harshly, stunning Rias, “Let me remind you that groups are made out of people, and each and every one of them has their own beliefs and personalities. So tell me, Rias Gremory, what makes you think I won’t walk out of here and turn against you? Because I swear, I will become the first Holy Devil if you give me the wrong answer.” Rias stayed quiet as she tried to think of an answer, but couldn’t, “That’s what I thought. Just leave me alone. I still smell like poop and dead people.” Rias nodded before leaving the bathroom. As she went and dressed herself, she noted how different Ruby was starting to act. It was odd. Maybe it was side effect of a human getting a King Piece? Pieces wouldn’t and shouldn’t affect the personalities of the reincarnated. Now, Ruby was starting the act a bit more violent, more aggressive, letting her emotions drive her forward. She also ruled in the fact that maybe it was because of her death that she was starting to act that way. Either way, she needed to keep Ruby under check or else something will get her and her team killed again. She waited for Ruby to finish her shower and change into her clean set of clothes before she spoke to her again,

“Hey, before your injuries are healed, you and Issei shouldn’t go to school. Use this chance to think about your standings.” Rias said before leaving to go and get ready for the day. Ruby only looked on as Rias walked past her before narrowing her eyes.

Was Rias going to be her enemy now?

“We have a day off, huh?” Issei said as he walked up to the Royal Pawn, “Hey, since we do…”

“Issei, if you think about asking me out, I will shoot you in the balls.” Ruby threatened,

“What!? No! I wasn’t going to-“ Issei paused as he simulated the conversation he was about to have with Ruby in his head before he continued, “Look, we haven’t eaten anything yet. Wanna go into the city and get something?”

“You’re asking me out…” Ruby growled,

“If I was asking you out, I would be paying.” Issei pointed out, “It’s just some breakfast.” Ruby was about to continue the argument but her stomach told her to think about it through its growls, “I think your stomach is agreeing with me.” Ruby couldn’t help but chuckle,

“Fine. Alright. Let’s go get some breakfast already.” Ruby said as they prepared to go out, not minding that she was going to pay- “Wait, what?”

“Too late! You’re paying!” Issei laughed out. Ruby could only groan in frustration as she cursed the future Harem King.

(Some Time Later)

“So… how’s your breakfast burger?” Ruby asked, her eye twitching. They were currently in a fast food restaurant having a burger, fries and a soda for their breakfast,

“What? I felt like eating a burger for breakfast?” Issei replied, “And come on, you said you wanted one too.”

“I’m not annoyed about the stupid burger; I’m annoyed because you made me pay for it!” Ruby said, annoyed, “Seriously, don’t you know how to treat a lady?”

“Hell yeah I do! But you’re not a lady right now, you’re a friend!”

“Is that an insult? That feels like an insult.”

“Do you want it to be an insult?”

“No. Not unless you want to go on a shopping spree with me?”

“It’s a compliment.”

“Thank God.” Ruby sighed in relief before she winced in pain, before she realized something, “Hey, I thought you were aiming to be the Harem King? What makes you think I won’t suspect that you’re gonna try add me to your army of girls?”

“Because I don’t like you that way.” Issei informed the Red Leader, “You’re acting more of a friend than my actual friends. It’s a nice change of pace to be honest.” Issei explained with a smile, “Plus, I’ve seen the way you look at your scythe thing. Instant turn off.”

“Wh-What? I don’t, I don’t-“ Ruby stuttered out as she blushed, causing Issei to laugh. Ruby looked annoyed before joining in with Issei. After all the heavy stuff from Remnant and Earth, it was nice to relax and just laugh with some friends,

“Anyway, the whole Harem King thing isn’t going to go anywhere if I can’t even protect one girl.” Issei added in, causing the mood to drop. They both sighed sadly as Asia flashed again in their minds, “If we keep this up, we’re gonna burden everyone.”

“Yeah.” Ruby had to admit, Issei was right. All she has done as King was get almost killed and have her teammates or someone from Rias’ peerage or Rias herself bail her out. It was frustrating how weak she was compared to other Devils. She needed to get stronger if she wanted to save-

“Asia!?” Issei & Ruby called out in surprise as they saw the nun walk pass the restaurant. They looked at each other in the eyes and nodded before the rushed out of the restaurant, “ASIA!”

“Ruby-san? Issei-san?” Asia said, pleasantly surprised.

(One Order Later)

“Oh, and you pay for her food and yet I have to pay for ours.” Ruby said, looking at Issei judgingly,

“What? It’s a friendly gesture.” Issei said as he sat down next to Ruby,

“You are _so_ paying for lunch next time.” Ruby told the pervert before smiling evilly, “And you better hope your life savings still have 2 digits after I’m done with it.”

“Sorry, but I don’t have money on my person.” Asia apologized as Issei put the tray of food in front of the nun. Ruby sighed as she smiled,

“Don’t worry about it. It’s fine. We’re all friends after all.” Ruby said, before noticing that Asia was just staring at her tray with confusion, “Uh… did you get something you didn’t want?”

“No, it’s just…” Asia said as she looked at the tray, “Where are the forks and knives?”

“Uh, well, for this you can eat with your hands.” Iseei informed the nun as he grabbed his burger and pointed at it, shocking the nun,

“Really!? That’s how you do it!?” Asia asked, surprised before she started searching through her purse, “Then I better wash my hands.”

“Um, I think we have some wet wi-“ Ruby started before her sentence died in her throat as she realized Asia just pulled out an entire full bottle of Holy Water from her purse, “We have wet wipes! We have wet wipes!”

“Just put that dangerous thing away!” Issei cried out as he threw the wet wipes at Asia,

“Huh? Oops! Sorry!” Asia quickly apologized, remembering that her friends are Devils. Though, they didn’t seem to care at all. Asia, religiously (which Ruby noted), cleaned her hands before she got ready to eat, proud of her thorough cleaning,

“Uh… very clean.” Issei said awkwardly before noticing that Asia was putting her hands together,

“Then, I should pray for the meal…” Asia said, causing Ruby & Issei to panic. They would’ve stopped her, if she didn’t already begin, “Dear Lord…”

(One Prayer to the Lord Later)

“Done, time to eat!” Asia said, having finished her prayer, only to notice that both Ruby & Issei looked liked they were about to die, “Ah! Issei-san! Ruby-san!”

(One Meal to Regain Strength after Asia Almost Killed Them Later)

“Wow, I never thought hamburgers would be this tasty!” Asia said, savoring the taste. She even got Issei to get her another one. Both Issei & Ruby were full so they decided to wait until Asia finished her second burger,

“She really never ate a burger before.” Ruby whispered to Issei, “She must’ve been really sheltered.”

“I know.” Issei replied, “I noticed something when we saw her outside. She looked scared to be out on the street. Though…”

“What?” Ruby asked,

“Maybe she was scared because she was running away from something.” Issei theorized, “Or maybe I’m just thinking too much.”

“I’m surprised you actually think.” Ruby joked,

“Issei-san, Ruby-san, what’s that place?” Asia asked as she pointed at the building across from the fast food restaurant, having just finished her second burger,

“Oh, that’s an arcade.” Issei answered before an idea popped into his head, “Hey, why don’t we all go and check it out?”

“You’re paying for it though.” Ruby said as she stood up,

“I don’t mind. It’s for Asia after all.” Issei said, causing the nun to smile. They put away their trash and headed over to the arcade, where they checked all the games that were available. Issei & Ruby had faced against each other in Shake Shake Rebellion, with Ruby winning by using her Semblance, while Asia cheered them on. Though, Issei evened the score by beating Ruby in a shooting game out of all things, which Ruby complained about how unrealistic it was to hide the embarrassment. They asked Asia if she wanted to join in on the fun but said she was happy watching them have fun. It went on for a little longer before Asia got distracted by a claw machine,

“Uwah! Issei-san! Ruby-san! This is Ratchu-kun! There are a lot of them!” Asia said excitedly,

“Huh? Do you want one?” Ruby asked. Asia looked stunned before shaking her head,

“N-No!” Asia answered quickly and nervously,

“But don’t you like Ratchu-kun?” Issei questioned,

“Yes! No! I mean…” Asia stuttered out, looking rather sheepish. Issei looked at the claw machine before slamming his fist into his hand,

“Alright! Just leave it to me!” Issei declared with a heroic smile,

“Oh no, I’m getting that plushy for Asia.” Ruby said as she cracked her knuckles,

“Wanna bet on it?” Issei asked. Ruby only grinned in response.

(Half of Issei’s Money Later)

“This stupid machine cheats!” Ruby complained, stopping herself before she kicked a hole into the machine, “I would’ve gotten it if this machine wasn’t rigged.”

“Hey, I lose too! That stupid thing stole half my money!” Issei pointed out before they saw Asia cuddling her new plushy, “Though, that makes it worth it.”

“Definitely.” Ruby said with a warm smile,

“Thank you very much you two! I’ll care for it for forever!” Asia said happily,

“Something like this… if you want more, we can always help grab it for you.” Issei offered,

“There’s no need! This Ratchu-kun is the best present created due to our encounter today! I want to treasure those memories for forever!” Asia said, still extremely happy. Issei and Ruby looked at each other before smiling,

“Yep, totally worth it.” They told each other. After that, they went to get some photos from a photo booth, but Ruby and Asia got dragged into wearing cosplay by random strangers, with Asia becoming a catgirl in a nurse outfit and Ruby becoming someone named Yukiko Amagi from some anime/game called Persona. Of course, Issei’s reaction was a nosebleed and to drag them into the photo booth despite (well, Ruby’s) protests, but ended up enjoying it as the embarrassment faded away and let themselves go and had fun. After returning the outfits, they played a few more games, except this time Asia joined them. Before they knew it, the sun was starting to set, indicating that the day was coming to a close,

“Looks like we played too long.” Ruby said, feeling exhausted,

“Yeah, it was getting exhausting.” Issei noted before he and Ruby winced in pain,

‘Crap, our injuries.’ Ruby thought as they clutched where their bullet wounds were,

“Hey, why don’t we rest for a bit?” Issei suggested as he pointed over to a nearby park bench,

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” Ruby replied as they went over to the bench and sat down. Asia noticed the pained looks on their faces as they made their way to benches,

“Issei-san, Ruby-san…” Asia said as she looked at them with concern, “Those injuries from… that time haven’t healed yet?”

“Nope, but it’s fine. It’ll heal on it’s-“ Ruby was interrupted by Asia placing both her hand on where the bullet wounds are, “Huh?”

“Pardon me for this.” Asia said before Issei & Ruby felt relief flow through their system. They looked down and saw that Asia was healing them like she did with the child, “There. All done.” She said as she stood up, “How do you two feel?”

“A-Amazing.” Ruby replied as she stood up. It felt like the bullet wound was never there to begin with, “I haven’t felt this good since I got accepted into Beacon 2 years early.”

“That must’ve been your Sacred Gear, huh?” Issei said as he made sure his leg was back to 100%,

“Yes, my Sacred Gear possesses the ability to heal.” Asia informed them,

“Wow, Asia’s power is amazing! You can heal anyone, even Devils like us.” Issei noted. Suddenly, Asia looked sad before she started to shed some tears,

“Issei…” Ruby said as she gave the boy a quick glare before she tried to comfort the nun, “Hey, it’s alright. Issei, apologize for what you just said.”

“Yeah, um, sorry about that. I shouldn’t have said that.” Issei apologized. Asia just tried to wipe away her tears.

“No, it’s alright. Issei-san didn’t do anything wrong.” Asia said as she sat down on the bench, “It’s just sometimes I would think back…” She then went to explain her backstory. About how she was abandoned by her family when she was born, sheltered and lonely, how she couldn’t be with other people because of her power, and how she healed a Devil, who killed a Exorcist soon after, and how she was excommunicated from the Church,

“Asia…” Ruby muttered, too stunned to say anything,

“Then, a Fallen Angel found me and took me in.” Asia continued, causing Ruby to freeze, “Issei-san, Ruby-san, I’ve always had this dream…” Asia sobbed out, “To be able to go out with my friends together, shopping normally… chatting normally… to be with friends… to able to…” Asia was interrupted by Ruby & Issei hugging her. She felt the tears leaking onto her shoulder as she was hugged by the two Devils,

“Then let us be your friends.” Issei whispered into Asia’s ear, which shocked the nun,

“…Be your friend?” Asia asked, wondering if this was true,

“Well, more like make it official.” Ruby said as they stepped back, “We were friends as soon as we met, Asia. And we’ll always be friends. Our bonds… the connections we’ve made with each other… will never be broken.”

“Don’t you see? We chatted all day, we played together all day! And when we go shopping, no matter if we’re sick, no matter the weather, no matter we’re suffering from the ups and downs of life, we’ll be there to go with you!” Issei shouted out,

“That’s a promise of a lifetime!” Ruby & Issei declared, “We promise, from this day forth, you’ll never be alone!”

“Issei-san… Ruby-san…” Asia sobbed out before hugging the two, “Issei-san! Ruby-san!”

“That’s not possible.” A voice from above them said. Issei & Ruby’s eyes widened, as they recognized the voice, before they looked up and confirmed their fears,

“Y-Yuuma-chan!?” Issei exclaimed as he and Ruby stood still. Ruby, again, cursed for not bringing her weapon with her,

“How can you two be still alive? And you’re Devils now? Disgusting.” Raynare said as she flew towards them. Ruby tried to move, but her body wasn’t responding. She wanted to run away, but at the same time she couldn’t.

So she just stood there, frozen on the spot.

“Raynare-sama.” Asia whispered as she saw the Fallen Angel,

“’Raynare’?” Issei repeated, looking a little confused before realizing it must’ve been Yuuma’s real name,

“Come, Asia. Let’s go back, don’t waste my time.” Raynare commanded the nun,

“No, I don’t want to…” Asia said as she hid behind Issei and the frozen Ruby, “Helping you all kill people… and also me.”

“To us your existence is a must. You do realize that, right?” Raynare questioned. Issei growled standing in front of the girls with a determined look on his face,

“Wait, didn’t you hear her refusal!?” Issei called out, “What are you planning to do with her after you take her?” Raynare smirked a little as she saw Issei trying to protect the two behind him,

“Well, look at you. Two girls at the same time. That’s impressive, I must say Issei-kun.” Raynare said sarcastically, “I remembered our date. You know I was quite happy that day?”

“Sh-Sh-Shut up!” Ruby squeaked out weakly, her fear of the Fallen Angel overriding her instincts telling her to run, “Y-Yo-Y-Y-You…”

“Aw… is the little Devil afraid of little ol’ me?” Raynare taunted, “You know, nothing would’ve happened if you two just died, but to actually turn into Devils…” She then summoned a light spear and smiled wickedly, “Then, how about having me kill you two once again?”

“Asia, Ruby, stay behind me.” Issei said,

‘I’m supposed to be the one protecting him. I’m a Huntress…’ Ruby thought as she tried to move her body, ‘Why? Why can’t I protect anyone!? WHY CAN’T I MOVE!?’

“I have to make the first move.” Issei said before thrusting his hand into the air, “SACRED GEAR!” And with that, Issei summoned his red gauntlet, causing Raynare to gasp in surprise, “Yeah baby!”

“Issei-san…” Asia muttered, looking on in awe at Issei’s Sacred Gear,

“I-Issei…” Ruby managed to get out, “Don’t die.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.” Issei reassured the two girls before going into a battle stance, “Now get back! I’ll take care of…” Suddenly, Raynare started laughing, “What?”

“Last time it was because your Sacred Gear was too dangerous, that’s why I accepted the order from the top to kill you, but…” Raynare couldn’t help but laugh again as she told the three what the punchline to this joke was, “It looks like the Higher-Ups miscalculated.”

“…What.” Issei & Ruby said in a flat tone,

“That Sacred Gear is called ‘Hand of the Dragon’. More commonly known as ‘Twice Critical’.” Raynare explained, “And speaking of common, it’s the most common Sacred Gear a human can possess. Despite the name, it really isn’t all that impressive. It only doubles the power of the user and nothing else. Sorry, but your Sacred Gear isn’t all that sacred at all. Really, for a Low-Class Devil like you, it fits you just fine.”

“Well, it’s better than nothing!” Issei shouted out as he activated his Sacred Gear, “Activate! Sacred Gear! TWICE CRITICAL!” Suddenly, the word ‘Boost’ appeared in the gem of Issei’s Sacred Gear as it started to glow.

And Issei literally felt nothing.

‘Oh shit.’ He thought before he grabbed both Ruby and Asia by their hands and ran,

“Come on! We gotta get out of here!” Issei shouted out. It was all too sudden as Asia dropped Ratchu-kun. Raynare smiled menacingly as she threw and light spear at the fleeing Devils and nun. Ruby saw this and finally, her body moved,

“ISSEI!” Ruby yelled out before attempting to tackle Issei to the ground, and ended up with both of them getting a light spear through the gut,

“Issei-san! Ruby-san!” Asia shouted out as Issei and Ruby fell to the ground,

“Not again. Not again!” Ruby cried out in pain before she coughed up some blood, “Fucking Hell… not again…” Ruby sobbed out as she punched the ground,

“Even when using the Sarcred Gear, he’s still so weak that the spear didn’t even bounce off. And even with Little Red Riding Hood ‘heroically’ trying to take the blow, it only ended up with both of you getting stabbed.” Raynare said, somewhat disappointed, “As expected of a Low-Class Devils. No, even worse You can say not only was it an undeveloped power-up, it ended up increasing the pain, and slowly both of you will surely beg for your death.”

“Crap…” Issei cursed as he tried to pull the spear out while coughing up some blood. Ruby was behind him spooning him, connected to him thanks to the spear in their gut. He didn’t want to move just in case it worsened the pain for the both of them,

“Asia… go…” Ruby managed to say as her strength was starting to fade, “Asia… run away… go! Don’t-“ Ruby hacked up some blood in the middle of that, “Don’t worry about us…”

“Please… just run away…” Issei begged. But Asia wasn’t having any of it. She pulled the light spear out of them, and before they had the chance to cry out in pain, she activated her Sacred Gear and started healing them,

“Get a hold of yourselves, Issei-san! Ruby-san!” Asia said as she quickly healed them,

“Asia.” Ruby said as they slowly stood up. Raynare looked thoughtful as she looked at Asia before making her decision,

“Asia, return with me now.” Raynare commanded, “If you refuse, your cute Devil girlfriend and boyfriend with be destroyed.” She threatened as she summoned another light spear,

“You shut the Hell up! A thing like you…” Issei growled as he got ready to charge at the Fallen Angel, “I’ll send you flying-“

“I understand.” Asia said, interrupting Issei,

“Asia….” Ruby said, realizing what the nun was doing, and couldn’t help but cry, “Please… no… don’t…”

“Good girl. Now come to my side.” Raynare said. Asia nodded and started walking up the Fallen Angel,

“Issei-san. Ruby-san.” Asia said, catching the attention of the two Devils. She gave them a smile as she waved at them, “I really had… I really had a lot of fun today. To someone like me, you two were willing to be my friends. Thank you very much.”

“Please… don’t go…” Issei quietly begged,

“That’s good. After today’s ceremony, your pain and suffering will all disappear.” Raynare told the nun,

‘A ceremony? What does she…’ Ruby thought before her eyes widened.

She was going to kill her.

“WAIT! ASIA!” Ruby & Issei yelled out as Raynare got ready to fly out of there,

“Don’t go!” Ruby shouted out, tears running down her face, “Please…”

“Asia, we’re friends. I’ll never abandon you!” Issei called out, “Let me protect you! Let _us_ protect you!” Asia couldn’t help but smile at her friends,

“Issei-san… Ruby-san…” Asia whispered out as she cried tears of both sadness and joy. Then, she said the last three words they wanted to hear.

“This is goodbye.”

And then she was gone, flown off into the night by Raynare, their murderer. Leaving behind three things. Ratchu-kun and two teen Devils, yelling out to the sky.

(Occult Research Club)

“Please, let us go save her!” Issei begged. Ruby was slowly becoming more frustrated with Rias. First, she orders them not to be friends with a girl who definitely deserved a few. Next, she was ordering them to forget about her despite the fact that she was almost raped by a psychopath. Now, it was this.

When did helping someone in need become this complicated?

“No way.” Rias stated as she got dressed, “Your actions will have a major effect on the relationship between Devils and Fallen Angels. If you step into their territory without a cause, and it could mean war.”

“But I thought the Devils and Fallen hate each other already. We can’t make them hate us more than they already do.” Yang pointed out,

“Are you really willing to take that risk?” Weiss asked,

“Hey, a friend of Ruby’s is my friend too and I’ll go to the ends of the world to save them.” Yang replied, “Plus, maybe I can finally test out Bloodlust.” She added as she summoned her Sacred Gear,

“Yang! Do you even know what you’re-“ Blake was interrupted by the sight of Yang’s eyes,

“Also…” Yang growled as she cracked her knuckles, “I want revenge.”

“For what?” Rias asked,

“For us! Ruby, it was her, wasn’t it? The one who killed us.” Yang asked. Ruby nodded in response, “You say if we go into their territory without a reason, we’ll spark a war, right? Well, I’m sure killing the person who killed us is enough of a reason to go after ‘em.”

“Look, I understand that you feel like you need to avenge yourselves.” Rias said, now starting to get fed up with the entire conversation, “But I’m not risking war to save one life and to take another.”

“But Asia is our friend! And like Hell I’m-“ It was right then when Rias decided enough was enough as she interrupted Issei,

“PLEASE! FOR EVERYTHING IN HELL, DON’T MAKE ME REPEAT MYSELF!” Rias snapped at her Pawn and apprentice, stepping out half-dressed and her boobs definitely showing, “Why don’t you two understand!? Do I have to spell it out for you!? If I let you go, YOU! WILL! BE! KILLED! I don’t want to see something like your deaths!”

“She said something about a ceremony today! Buchou, it’s possible that Asia will be killed, and I can’t allow that to happen!” Issei continued to argue, though the nosebleed didn’t exactly help him convince his King,

“Senpai, your nose is bleeding… it doesn’t sound convincing.” Koneko said, holding a box of tissues,

“It’s no use if you beg and cry.” Akeno informed the Pawn,

“Rias.” Ruby said, no tone in her voice as she glared at Pure Blooded Devil, “You’re not going to stop us.”

“And what makes you think that?” Rias retorted as sparks started to fly between the two Kings,

“Because…” Ruby started before clenching her fists, “I’m not gonna fail again. Not anymore. You stand in my way, and I cut you down.”

“You think you can beat me?” Rias asked,

“No, I won’t beat you. I’ll make you suffer.” Ruby growled, her eyes suddenly turning dark red. Rias actually took a step back. That… shouldn’t happen. There was something seriously wrong with Ruby. She knew she was treading into dangerous territory now, and if she didn’t get out of this soon, things might get a little… out of hand,

“Buchou.” Akeno spoke up, getting her attention while Koneko wiped Issei’s bloody nose. She mentally thank Akeno as she saw Ruby’s eyes turn back into it’s usual colour of silver before turning her attention to her Queen. Akeno whispered something into Rias’ ear that everyone in the room couldn’t quite make out, but it seemed urgent,

“We have something very important to do. I’m going out with Akeno for a bit.” Rias informed the two peerages,

“B-Buchou! Wait a minute, I’m not done-“ Issei said before he was interrupted by Rias again,

“Before we leave, I’ll say something to you up front.” Rias said, “Ruby, you should listen as well.”

“Er… sure.” Ruby muttered. Just because she was mad at her doesn’t mean she would skip out on a lesson about becoming a better King,

“The way you see it, a Pawn is a really weak Piece, right?” Rias said. Issei got another look at Rias’ cleavage and, obviously, his nose started bleeding. The RWBYs swore one day he was going to die of blood loss,

“I-Isn’t it the lowest piece?” Issei pointed out,

“Actually, yes and no.” Blake spoke up as she approached the chessboard, which was conveniently next to Rias and Issei, “Pawns are actually very useful, despite having an incredibly limited movement rage. In a game of chess, if you manage to get one of your pieces on the opponent’s side, it doesn’t do anything. But is a Pawn reaches it…”

“They promote.” Rias finished with a smirk, “Just like in chess, someone with the Evil Piece of Pawn is able to promote themselves to anything except King if their King allows them or they’re deep in enemy territory. For instance, a Church to us would be a good example of enemy territory. That’s why I keep saying that Ruby’s worse than you, Issei. Kings don’t have that type of power.”

“So, after Issei promotes, he would have access to similar abilities like Akeno’s Queen, or something like that?” Blake asked,

“So he can literally be any Piece he wants other than King and get the benefits, even if temporarily.” Weiss mumbled to herself, “I have to admit, that could actually be useful.”

“Yes, in theory however.” Rias continued as she got dressed, “But the Queen Piece is the strongest Piece out of all the Evil Pieces. With Issei’s stamina, that power would be an enormous burden, It’s possible that he can’t bear the weight of the promotion.”

“So, just stick with the lower Pieces.” Yang suggested, “Knight, Rook and Bishop shouldn’t be too hard, right?”

“It’s possible.” Akeno said,

“Also, one more thing.” Rias said as she gave Issei a plastic white Pawn Piece, “Sacred Gears are activated by your willpower. The stronger your will, the more powerful it’ll react to your request.”

“Willpower, huh?” Yang muttered as she looked at her Sacred Gear, “Hm, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

“And remember this last point.” Rias said, just as she and Akeno were about to step out, “Even a Pawn can kill the King. You can become stronger.” And with that, Rias & Akeno left, doing whatever they were doing, “Yuuto, I’ll leave everything to you.”

“Yes Buchou.” Kiba said. Ruby and Issei looked at the Pawn Piece before Issei put it back on the chessboard, “Issei-kun, Rose-chan, if you two are really going, both of you can die.”

“Yeah, think about this before you do something you regret.” Weiss said,

“The only regret I have right now is not being strong enough to stop Asia from throwing her life away.” Ruby told the Heiress as she grabbed Crescent Rose, “She’s a friend, Weiss. I’m not going to sit here and let her die. I have to do _something_.”

“But just the two of you? Going against, what? Dozens of Fallen Angels? Ruby, this isn’t a mission, this is suicide!” Weiss argued, “Do you even know what you’re doing!?”

“Yeah. Get in, save Asia, get out.” Issei said,

“And the details?” Blake asked,

“We’ll figure that out later. Every second we spend here is a second closer to Asia dying.”

“It is quite bold for just the two of you to charge into enemy territory without a plan. But, if you two died, no one would be able to save her.” Kiba pointed out,

“Then what should we do then!?” Issei yelled at the Prince,

“Not go alone.” Kiba answered, “I’m coming with. You’re my colleagues. To see the two of you bravely going towards certain death, I won’t be able to stand idle by. Also… I personally hate Priests and Fallen Angels. No, wait, ‘hate’ is the better term.”

“Yeah, I’m not letting my little sister go on a suicide mission without me. Plus, I think it’s time for that Fallen Angel to taste her own medicine.” Yang said with a grin, “Count me in too.”

“Yang…” Ruby whispered before hugging her sister, “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Yang replied, “Plus, I wanna see what our local Pawn can do and to test Bloodlust out.”

“That’s right. It’s likely the ceremony you talked about will be set at a Church and Buchou did say they’re a great example of enemy territory.” Kiba said, “Which means…”

“Issei can promote!” Ruby finished before she realized something, “Wait a minute, are you saying that…”

“Buchou approved. Even without saying it directly.” Kiba said, confirming Ruby’s thoughts, “If she didn’t approve that Churches are enemy territory, both of you would’ve been stopped, even if she had to tie you up.” Ruby couldn’t help but chuckle,

“Okay, Rias is cool again, but we’re potentially going to face a lot of Fallen Angels.” Ruby said, “Plus, me and Issei don’t exact have the best track record with Fallen Angels encounters.”

“I’m sure it isn’t that bad.” Yang muttered before Ruby pulled her down by the collar,

“ _Three times_! I’ve been stabbed in the gut and almost died _three times_! I am surprised I still have a stomach left at this point!” Ruby shouted out, “We need more people!”

“I’ll go too.” Koneko said,

“Huh? What!?” Issei & Ruby exclaimed in surprise, “Why!?”

“Yeah, why?” Weiss asked, “Four should be enough.”

“Four mean death.” Koneko answered simply, “More man power equals better chances.”

“I may as well go too.” Blake sighed as she pulled out her weapon, “I’m not going stay here and potentially let someone die after all.”

“Thank you.” Issei & Ruby thanked the two,

“You have no idea how much this means to us.” Issei said as he went to pat Blake on the back, only for it to be slapped away,

“Hey, you might be doing something noble, but you still touch yourself at night. I’d rather avoid as much contact with you as possible.” Blake told the pervert,

“Okay, no touching.” Issei said as he saluted the former dormant Youkai,

“It applies to me as well.” Koneko quickly said,

“So two Pawns, two Knights and two Rooks. Six in total.” Ruby listed off, “It’s a solid rescue team but…”

“I heard that the number 7 is a lucky number.” Yang spoke up,

“And we don’t have a magic user on our team yet.” Kiba pointed out, catching onto the joke,

“It would be a shame to encounter some who can only be beaten by magic.” Issei said as he shook his head in fake disappointment,

“And Vice Buchou is with Buchou.” Koneko added in,

“Now, if we only had one more teammate who used magic and/or is a Bishop to join us in helping the defenseless, cute, innocent little girl from the clutches of the Fallen Angels. Preferably someone wearing the colour white…” Ruby muttered as everyone in the room looked at Weiss. The Heiress could only sigh,

“I hate you all.” Weiss said pulled out Myrtenaster,

“Alright, team’s set! Let’s get this show on the road!” Ruby proudly declared, “Let’s go save Asia! Go Team RWBYIKK!” There was an awkward silence after Ruby’s proud declaration of their extremely dumb team name, “What?”

“How about just Team Devil?” Kiba suggested, not wanting to say anything about the team name,

“Come on, there has to be a better team name than that.” Issei said,

“It was the only one I can come up with right now. Stop patronizing me.” Ruby retorted, “A-Are we gonna do this thing or what?”

“We will, just change the team name.” Yang said, “I-I mean, there has something better than just putting at the end ‘IKK’ of our team name.”

“Yeah.” Koneko spoke up with a nod,

“I’m sure we can find a word that can fit if we tried.” Blake guessed, “Though, it would be a little tricky considering it wouldn’t be in English or Japanese.”

“…Let’s just go.” Weiss groaned as she walked out the door,

“Oh, right. Asia.” Ruby muttered before clearing her throat, “Let’s go Team… yeah, let’s just go team.”

(Some Time Later)

Blake & Issei peeked around the corner of the alleyway to see their destination across the street, “Is this the place?” Blake asked,

“Yes.” Issei answered, recognizing it was the Church he and Ruby delivered Asia to. They both shuddered as they looked at the location, “Man, I’m getting a weird vibe from that place.”

“Well, judging by the atmosphere, we can be certain Fallen Angels are nearby.” Kiba said as he pulled out the blueprints of the Church,

“Meaning Issei can promote.” Ruby spoke up,

“Not until we’re inside.” Kiba said as he placed the blueprints of the Church on a crate,

“You sure are prepared Yuuto.” Yang noted as they all gathered around the blueprints, “It’s heard to believe that you guys have blueprints for every Church in Kuoh.”

“It’s the basics of attacking enemy territory.” Kiba said, giving Yang his signature smile, which ticked Issei off. Things became serious when they went back to the plan, “The Church itself isn’t that big. This is the Sanctuary and behind it is the Living Quarters.” Kiba said as he pointed at the rooms,

“I’m not seeing any backdoors or any side entrances to this place.” Weiss noted,

“That’s right. That means unless we break in through the windows, we have to go through the front entrance.” Blake said, “Which is bad since we’re such a large group. I was hoping that we were going to split up into three groups but it looks like that isn’t possible.”

“This is sure suspicious though.” Kiba muttered,

“How do you even know all of this?” Issei asked,

“Even now Rouge Exorcists and Fallen Angels destroy holy places. By doing such acts of blasphemy against the God who exiled them, they get pleasure.’ Kiba explained,

“Man, I am so glad I’m not that religious.” Yang mumbled to herself as she rubbed the back of her head, “Even their God here is at fault.”

“Anyway, from the looks of it, we can actually head straight to the Sanctuary from the entrance.” Ruby pointed out, getting everyone’s attention back to the blueprint, “We can make it in no time.”

“It isn’t going to be that easy though.” Blake spoke up,

“There will be an Exorcist in the Sanctuary.” Koneko stated,

“It’ll most likely be that insane Priest from before.” Ruby said as Kiba put the blueprints away, “So, our plan is to charge in and head straight for the Sanctuary. If possible, we take down that Freed guy. That’s simple enough.”

“But even simple missions can go awry.” Koneko said. Ruby winced at that before nodding,

“Well, there’s no time to waste! Let’s get moving!” Issei declared. The team of Devils nodded and they all started heading towards the gate of the Church. Kiba summoned one of his swords as the team stood at the sides of the gate, Team RWBY on the left and Team IKK on the right,

“Okay, since you’re King, you’ll lead the mission from now on.” Kiba said as he got ready to destroy the lock, “Everyone ready to move?” Kiba asked. Everyone nodded at the blonde Knight as Team RWBY got out their weapons,

“Alright we can do this. I’m not gonna fail again.” Ruby whispered to herself, Crescent Rose at the ready, “Everyone stick together and watch each other’s backs.”

“Ready to save an enemy?” Yang asked,

“I’m ready to save a friend.” Ruby corrected before she counted down, “3. 2. 1. Kiba!”

“NOW! GO!” Kiba shouted out as he sliced off the lock off before Yang summoned Bloodlust and punched the gate open,

“Was that really necessary!?” Weiss exclaimed as they ran towards the Church,

“Told you I was testing out Bloodlust.” Yang said while looking at her Sacred Gear before putting it away, “Though, I don’t feel any different…”

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter. We should’ve been discovered as soon as we stepped in!” Kiba said as they ran up the steps. When they entered the Church, the RWBYs and Issei tried to ignore the shivers going down their spines as they continued forward. After a few minutes of running they approached the door to the Sanctuary. Ruby looked at her fellow Devils before she slowly opened the door. She peeked into the room before fully opening the door,

“And… it’s empty.” Yang said as they walked in, “Wow, this place is creepy.”

“Still, don’t let your guard down. Someone’s here…” Kiba said. Blake’s ear twitched as she heard footsteps coming from the back,

“Over there!” Blake and Koneko called out as they pointed towards the pillar,

“Oh my, splendid work.” A familiar voice said as he walked out from behind the pillar, “Yo! It’s a reunion~ It sure is heart moving!”

“The Shitty Priest!” Issei yelled out,

“Oh Hell, it’s this guy.” Weiss groaned as she aimed Myrtenaster at the “Priest”,

“There hasn’t been a Devil who’s met me twice! Since I am extremely strong and I always defeat Devils the first time I meet them.” Freed said, before glaring at the Devils, “But thanks to you guys, my policy got ruined. This won’t do… it pisses me off…” He then stomped around childishly, “That means I want all of you to die! Just die already! Die, shitty Devil!”

“You’re really starting to make me angry, you know that.” Yang growled, “Look, I really don’t care about you, we have bigger fish to fry so would you mind getting the Hell out of our way!?”

“Oh… you all came to save Asia-tan right?” Freed said with a smirk, “It would be better for a bitch like her, who would even save Devils, to die.”

“YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!” Ruby yelled out,

“Where is Asia!?” Issei demanded,

“Hm. Oh, underneath that altar, there’s a hidden staircase leading to the Underground Assembly Hall.” Freed answered off-handedly, “She should be there.”

“Oh. Thanks?” Yang… thanked the crazy guy, “You’re surprisingly helpful.”

“Meh, you’re all gonna die anyway.” Freed said as he pulled out his weapons,

“Ugh, we don’t have time for this!” Ruby said as she readied Crescent Rose, “Asia’s gonna die! We can’t waste time!”

“Then we don’t.” Blake said, “We’ll handle Freed, you and Issei go ahead and get to Asia.”

“Are you sure?” Issei asked as he got out his Sacred Gear,

“Don’t worry about us! Worry about your friend! Go!” Yang shouted out as they all charged at the “Priest”, “Activate! Sacred Gear! BLOODLUST!” Yang yelled out, dramatically summoning her Sacred Gear,

“Come on, Issei!” Ruby said as the others distracted Freed, “We need to move!”

“Are you really sure?” Issei asked, not wanting to abandon the others,

“They’re going to be fine, but Asia won’t be soon. Let’s go!” Ruby said as she went over to the altar to find the secret entrance. Issei looked at the others before he went over to help Ruby,

‘Don’t worry Asia! Just wait a little longer!’ Ruby & Issei thought.


	7. A Simple Unstoppable Force 2

“Ruby, why did you bring your chess set?” Issei asked as they ran down the stairs. They had left the others to deal with Freed only minutes ago and were heading down Underground Assembly Hall where the ritual, and more importantly, and Asia were being held in,

“Just in case.” Ruby answered. She wanted to use her Semblance to go faster but for some reason she had trouble stopping now, probably due to her new body. She wanted to be in her best shape and getting a face full of wall wasn’t going to help. Issei was going to ask why until he realized what she meant, “We need to hurry. We’re running out of time.”

“Right.” Issei said with a nod. They quickly made their way down and saw a door at the bottom of the stairs. They jumped down the last couple of steps and approached the door, “Is this it?”

“Probably.” Ruby said as she took out Crescent Rose and Issei summoned his Sacred Gear, “There’s going to be a lot of Fallen Angels and Exorcists. I know it.” Ruby quickly took a deep breath, trying to stop herself from shaking. She needed to be brave for Asia. She had to get over being scared of Fallen Angels.

She wasn’t going to fail again.

“Are you okay?” Issei asked, putting his armoured hand on her shoulder. Ruby swallowed a bit of her saliva and nodded, “Ready?”

“R-Ready.” Ruby said, gripping onto her weapon tightly. She took one more deep breath before they both opened the door and charged in. They saw a few Exorcists, Raynare & Asia in nothing but cloth wrapped around them and symbols on their chests, with Asia being magically attached to a cross,

“ASIA!” Issei & Ruby yelled out,

“We promised we won’t leave you alone!” Ruby called out,

“Ruby-san… Issei-san…” Asia said weakly,

“Oh, welcome Devils.” Raynare said as she glanced at the two, “Too late.” And with that, she touched the symbol on chest. Asia cried out in pain as both the symbols glowed, her Sacred Gear being removed from her body.

Ruby didn’t hear anything else. She couldn’t hear anything else. She ignored Issei crying out as she dropped her weapon and collapsed to her knees. The world around her shattered into millions of pieces as she just listened to Asia scream. Over and over again in her head. Her eyes just glazed over as she realized what had happened.

She had just failed. Again.

And that’s when she finally _broke_.

(With WBYKK)

To Weiss, Freed was a lot tougher than he looked but he looked just as insane and annoying. He was a lot faster than all of them, even Kiba and Blake. He got a few hits on them but it was nothing really serious. Koneko had opened up by throwing the benches in the Sanctuary at him. When he dodged it, She, Blake and Kiba went in for the attack. Despite the numbers advantage, he was easily outmaneuvering them and getting some scratches on them. Yang was staying back, waiting for an opportunity to strike and to finally use Bloodlust. She wanted to join in but she figured five swords slashing at the “Priest” was enough and she wasn’t going to endanger her fellow Devils. They still had no idea what Bloodlust would do. Anyway, after Freed started making fun of Weiss & Koneko’s cup size, things started to go in their favour, with Koneko forgoing throwing benches to straight up using it as a weapon and Weiss using some of the magic Akeno taught her and trying to shock the living hell out of the bastard.

Weiss, in the middle of summoning more lightning, wondered if Akeno was going to teach her how to cast ice spells. If she was going to be a magic user, she should at least have a spell that fits with her motif.

“My my. Is this what’s called a precarious situation?” Free asked, tired from the fight,

“Oh, shut it! You tried to kill my sister!” Yang called out, “You’re outnumbered! It’s time to pay for your sins!”

“’My sins’? I don’t sin, you do!” Freed shouted back, “You are all born from sin, feed from sin and frankly are basically shitty people!” He then pulled out his gun and detached the clip, “I don’t have to deal with you people anymore.” He said, closing his eyes and ready for the flash and the bang.

It never came.

“What?” Freed said in surprise, only to see Blake holding the flashbang in her hand,

“You gotta learn how to keep track of your stuff.” Blake said as she pocketed the flashbang, “No more tricks. You’re not leaving without a fight.”

“I can still kill all of you!” Freed yelled out, “I still have the Fallen Angels on my side! By the time Mr and Ms Shitty Devils get to Asia-tan, she’ll be dead and so will all of you!”

“Stop trying to resist. It’s over.” Kiba said as he aimed his swords at the “Priest”, “We promise your death will be painless.”

“Please be quiet.” Koneko said as she cracked her knuckles. Freed knew he was royally screwed now. He was outnumbered and out of tricks. He needed a plan to escape. He looked at all the Devils before settling his eyes on the one he knew was going to be that distraction.

Yang.

“Uh… why are you looking at me like that?” Yang asked, a little creeped out that Freed was eyeing her up, “Stop staring at me!”

“What makes you think you can talk to me like that?” Freed said, “You haven’t even thrown a punch and yet you’re acting like you’ve beaten me.”

“Ugh, because unlike you, I actually care about the lives of others.” Yang retorted,

“And back there, you said the Little Bitch Riding Hood is your sister, right?” Yang was starting to wonder  what Freed was planning to do, but ignored it when he called her little sister a bitch,

“Shut up!” Yang yelled out, aiming Bloodlust at Freed,

“You two don’t even look alike. What? Did your father whore himself out and created the bastard child I see in front of me?”

“Shut up!” Yang yelled out, her eye turning red and the gem on her Sacred Gear faintly glowing purple,

“Yang, calm down.” Weiss said,

“I am calm!” For some reason, Weiss, Blake, Kiba and Koneko weren’t convinced,

“Yeah, you and your sister are bastard children of a man-whore!” Freed called out, smiling evilly, “Or… is it the mother who’s the whore in the family?” Freed smirked as he saw Yang’s hair glowing. He knew he pissed her off. Now, it was time for the little whore to go on a rampage, hopefully kill a few of her Devil friends while he escapes into the night.

He did not expect his neck snapping clean in two though. And the decapitation.

And then Yang kept punching him.

A lot.

Until he was no longer recognized as a sentient being.

And then she started tearing into him.

And eating him.

All while her Sacred Gear glowed a bright red.

Maybe this simple little distraction may have gone awry.

“Y-Yang.” Blake said quietly as she slowly approached the apparent angry cannibal. Blake knew the Blonde had a literal hair-triggered temper but this…

This was not Yang.

Suddenly, Yang punched the pile of flesh that was Freed with her Sacred Gear, causing the others to jump back. They saw that it was absorbing, draining the pile of flesh of its blood. Blake saw a gold ring forming around the gem as Yang absorbed more blood, as well as a silver ring slowly appearing underneath the gold ring and something appearing in the gem.

**x1**

“Guys… that’s not Yang.” Blake said quietly,

“What are you talking about?” Kiba asked as everyone was getting ready for a fight,

“THAT’S NOT YANG!” Blake shouted out as Yang turned her head towards them, covered in blood and her red eyes now containing slits, like a lizard or a dragon. She stood up and looked at the Devils and only saw more power, more fuel for her Sacred Gear. She gave an animalistic growl to them before using the last shreds of her mind to realize something before her Sacred Gear gets rid of it in trade for more power.

Everyone needed to die.

And with that, she _roared_.

(Meanwhile…)

“Issei, leave her to me.” Ruby said emotionlessly as she stood up and picked up her weapon,

“What?” Issei asked, wondering why Ruby wanted to face Raynare alone,

“Leave. Her. To me.” Ruby growled, her eyes flashing red before flaring her Devil energy. Issei stepped back as he saw a cyan blue energy come off of Ruby. It was starting to suffocate him, but it wasn’t powerful enough to send him to his knees. Issei nodded, although a bit nervously, and went into a battle stance,

“I won’t allow you to interfere.” One of the Exorcists said as he pulled out a holy weapon as Ruby started walking towards Raynare, blocking her way,

“I don’t have time for you.” Ruby said, unnaturally calm, “Step. Aside.”

“Devil! I will destroy you!” Exorcist 1 shouted out as he attacked Ruby,

“Issei.” Ruby whispered out, “They’re all yours.”

“Promotion! ROOK!” Issei shouted out without hesitation, feeling his body change thanks to his ability to promote. He channeled all of his strength into his legs and leaped forward, intercepting Exorcist 1’s attack by punching him in the face and sending him straight through a wall. Before he could recover, his head exploded, as Ruby used Crescent Rose’s sniper form to finish him off,

“I told you to step aside.” Ruby said before continuing towards Raynare. Before the other Exorcists could try and interfere, Issei quickly stopped them and got ready for a serious fight,

“This is it! The power I’ve been wanting for so long!” Raynare declared proudly as Asia’s Sacred Gear slowly and painfully left her body, “If I have this Sacred Gear then I will be loved!”

“You don’t deserve it.” Ruby growled as she changed Crescent Rose into its scythe form, “That Sacred Gear, life, love, you deserve nothing.”

“No, little miss Devil. I’ve deserved this for years.” Raynare said as Asia’s Sacred drifted into her hands. She put the orb to her chest and slowly went into her body. From the looks of it, she was getting pleasure from the process, “Finally, I’ve got it! The ultimate power! With this I’ll be able to make those who made fun of me pay! Why would you deny me of that!?” Suddenly, Ruby felt extremely hot as she glared intensely at the Fallen Angel,

“You… killed me.” Ruby growled, “You killed my friends. You’ve killed my sister. You killed Issei. You’ve killed so many people closest to me and now _this_!?” A burst of blue Devil energy burst forth from Ruby, “ _THIS_!? All of this… this bullshit for revenge!?” Ruby then threw away Crescent Rose, “You’ve taught me something. Something very important I haven’t learned until now.”

“And what will that be?” Raynare asked, though the aura coming off of Ruby was starting to make her feel… uncomfortable,

“You don’t deserve to die. You deserve to _suffer_.” Ruby answered, her irises now blood red. Raynare was now actually kind of scared of Ruby. The aura she was giving off was… indescribable. It promised endless torture and suffering for thousands of years, and the intensity of that suffering started to increase as Ruby got closer to her,

“Wh-What about the girl? Don’t you care about her?” Raynare asked, hoping to distract Ruby. It worked for Issei as he finished off the last Exorcist a little worse for wear but not for Ruby,

“Asia!” Issei shouted out as he saw the magical bindings on Asia’s hands fade, causing her to fall. Issei quickly caught her and set her on the ground, “Asia, we’re here. Just hold on!”

“Issei… san… Ruby… san…” Asia said weakly, her eyes becoming heavier by the second,

“No no no!” Just hold on! Hold on!” Issei yelled out. Asia tried to, she really tried. She was using everything to keep her strength and stay awake. Praying to God in her head, holding onto Issei’s hand, anything to keep her from fading.

“Give. It. Back.” Ruby growled, “Give Asia back her Sacred Gear!”

“What do you mean ’Give it back’? You think I’ll just give it back if you ask nicely?” Raynare taunted, though there was subtle bit of stuttering in her voice as she tried to get away from Ruby, “Even if I do, once a Sacred Gear is removed, the former owner dies. Sorry, but your friend is as good as dead.” She then created a light spear, “Don’t worry, you’ll join her in just a few sec-“ Raynare didn’t finish her sentence as Ruby quickly dashed up to her and kneed her in the stomach and punched her in the head,

“If you’re not going to give it back, then I’ll make you give it back.” Ruby said, tears flowing down her face as the blue Devil energy coming out of her started to become more intense, “Even if I have to rip it out of you.” Raynare glared at Ruby as she used her new Sacred Gear to heal the bruises on her stomach and cheek and created a light spear in each hand. Ruby only responded and using her Semblance to retrieve her weapon,

“Well, I guess it’s time to finish what I started.” Raynare said as the two glared at each other,

“Ruby…” Issei said before he saw that there were a few more Exorcists coming towards them. He looked at Asia and knew he had to get her out of danger, “Asia, just hold on for a bit longer.”

“Issei… san…” Asia whispered out, feeling weaker with each word,

“Ruby! I need to get Asia out of here!” Issei said as he lifted her up bridal style, “You think you can-“ Issei was cut off by a red blur slicing all the heads off of all the Exorcists’ bodies in a flash,

“Get Asia out of here now! She’s mine!” Ruby called out, only to see Raynare trying to make her escape, “Oh no you don’t bitch!” Ruby yelled out before using her Semblance to tackle the Fallen Angel down. Issei nodded before he made his way, making sure to be mindful of the bodies that now littered the ground. He really didn’t want to be in the middle of this cat fight, no matter how potentially sexy it was probably going to be. Plus, Asia needed somewhere to be put safely before he helped Ruby. He mentally groaned as he remembered how many stairs there were to the surface,

‘I wonder how the others are doing.’ Issei thought as he headed upstairs.

(Meanwhile at a local ramen restaurant)

A woman with black hair and red eyes wearing blue jeans and a black blouse sighed as she looked at the menu. She was feeling hungry, sure, but most of the selection wasn’t to her tastes. She sighed again and got a waiter to come to her, “I guess I’ll have the Miso Ra-MEN!” She suddenly yelled out as she clutched her stomach in pain,

“Hey, are you okay Miss?” Another customer asked. She only sighed in response,

“I’m fine.” She said before taking a deep breath, “I’ll have the Miso Ramen to go, thanks.” ‘I have to go and stop my daughter from killing everyone.’ Raven mentally added as she waited for her order, “No wait, make that two. No, wait, three. And a bottle of sake.”

(Meanwhile, back at the church)

Blake, in what possibly could be the first time in history, was glad she had a broken leg and a few fractured ribs. Especially after seeing what Yang had done to her clones.

Now that she had found somewhere to hide and rest her body, she could now focus on how to solve this little… problem. First was Yang’s strength. Now, Yang already had good defense and offense before she became a Devil, so whoever revived them giving Yang the Rook Piece had already made Yang an almost unstoppable force to be reckoned with. Then, there was her Sacred Gear. While she and the others were being completely destroyed by her, she managed to figure out a few things.

Bloodlust, well, was fueled by blood. And they were giving her plenty of fuel already. The gold ring represented how much blood was in the Sacred Gear and the silver ring was a timer to how long until the next multiplier, the time between each of them becoming longer and longer as the battle wore on.

Oh right, the stupid multiplier. The thing that appeared on the gem that stacked.

The last time she saw it, it was at **x1x2x3**. That was about 6 times her base power if her math was correct.

And by the sounds of Koneko finally crashing through the ceiling and landing after being on the receiving end of an uppercut, they were royally screwed.

Blake dragged herself to where the fight with Yang was still going on and looked inside the barely standing Sanctuary. Weiss was keeping herself out of range as best as she could, using up all her Dust and magic to keep Yang at bay. Weiss had taken the least damage out of all of them but it was only barely. She looked tired and ready to pass out and she was quickly running out of attacks. Kiba was trying to get Yang to come to her senses but it seemed to make things worse as he was sent through a wall. His swords were doing nothing against Yang. At best, he was dealing damage to her clothes. And considering that Yang was basically wearing rags at this point, it was safe to assume that Kiba’s speed outmatched Yang’s but his attacks were way too weak to even cause even a small amount of bleeding. Koneko was the only one (as far as they knew) who was able to at least cause some damage, but she couldn’t even get near her. She was either sent through multiple walls or-

Blake winced as Koneko was sent to the sky… again. For the third time in a row.

Weiss was about to drop when she dived out of the Sanctuary and joined Blake. Kiba soon followed, clutching onto his bleeding arm.

“This isn’t going very well.” Kiba said as he watched Yang look for her opponents, wondering where they could’ve gone,

“Really now?” Weiss managed to get out. She was absolutely exhausted, “What’s happening with Yang?”

“Could it be her Sacred Gear?” Blake muttered, “Maybe it’s causing her to act this way.”

“It is likely, but I don’t remember ever seeing someone’s Sacred Gear doing… that.” Kiba said before covering his ears as Yang let out a primal roar,

“We need to calm Yang down somehow.” Blake said as she rubbed her ears, “Maybe if we get Ruby…”

“What if she’s in the middle of saving the nun right now? And the entrance to the where the ritual is supposed to be is right past Yang.” Weiss pointed out, “If we try, we’ll be killed.”

“We have to do something. At this rate she’ll destroy the church, and that will spark a war with the Angels.” Kiba said,

“But we can’t do anything. My leg’s broken so I’m out of commission. Weiss can’t use any magic or Dust. Koneko can’t get a single blow on her no matter how matter times we help her. And your attacks aren’t even dealing scratch damage.” Blake said as she shook her head, “We need someone, anyone, to help us.”

“Um, is this a bad time?” The three froze as they heard the familiar voice. They looked up and saw Rias and Akeno walking up to them, “What’s the situation?” Rias asked,

“Er, first things first. Did you let us come here to rescue the nun?” Weiss had to ask,

“Is this really important right now?” Akeno spoke up,

“Where were you two?” Blake asked, ignoring the previous questions,

“Fallen Angel hunting. Now, what’s the situation?” Rias said sternly. Suddenly, there was a loud boom as Koneko tried to slam her foot onto Yang’s face, only to get thrown straight into Akeno,

“I hate her.” Koneko managed to get out before falling unconscious, using Akeno’s breast as pillows,

“What the-What’s happening?” Rias asked in surprise. She was expecting the church to take some damage but this was pretty extreme,

“Buchou, the man from before that injured Issei-kun and Rose-cham, Freed, managed to anger Yang into killing him. From there, Yang’s Sacred Gear absorbed his blood and now is going on a rampage. We attempted to make her regain her senses but all attempts have ended in failure and a few broken bones. At this rate, the church will be destroyed.” Kiba informed the President,

“And where’s Ruby and Issei?”

“We let them go on ahead while we fought the Exorcist before he was killed. They could be saving the nun as we speak.” Weiss said. Rias sighed as she processed the information. This wasn’t going to be an easy task and she’ll probably need some aspirin afterwards,

“First off, we need to restrain Yang. And if we can’t-”

“You can’t.” Blake interrupted, causing Rias to sigh again,

“I’m sorry, but we have to kill Yang.” Rias said grimly, “It’s the only way.”

“I know what you meant. I mean, we actually can’t kill Yang.” Blake said, “It is physically impossible to kill Yang in this state. Her Sacred Gear makes her stronger over time, and combined with Rook Piece and her Semblance, she could easily destroy us all before we even make her bleed.”

“Then we don’t make her bleed.” Rias said before flaring her Devil energy, “We make her turn to dust. All of you, stay here and rest. Akeno, on me.”

“Whatever you say, Buchou.” Akeno said as she placed the unconscious Koneko next to the tired group. The King and Queen ran into the Sanctuary and saw Yang tearing the place apart, looking for more blood to fuel her Sacred Gear. Yang turned and only saw the blood red hair of Rias, causing her to growl. At this point she was completely incapable of speech, her mind having fully given in to her bloodlust. The meter measuring the amount of blood she had felt in her Sacred Gear was about halfway empty and draining faster and faster, but the next multiplier to her power was coming up her soon.

Right now in fact.

**x1x2x3x4x5**

Yang roared and charged at them. Akeno quickly started casting spells to slow Yang down but it only served to make Yang even angrier. Weiss, not wanting to stay on the sidelines, quickly used the last of her energy to create a glyph around Yang, restraining her in place. Yang roared again and struggled wildly against her bonds, desperately trying to get out. Rias took a deep breath before gathering up her energy,

“I’m sorry Yang.” Rias said as she held out her hand. Suddenly, a large orb of red energy appeared, “I hope you understand. And I hope understands too. Dust to Dust.” And with that small speech, she fired it off, sending Yang her death.

Yeah. **No**.

Yang broke out of her bonds just in time to slap the Ball of Destruction out of the way, leaving a nice large and round hole in the church before the entire section collapsed.

Rias blinked.

Akeno blinked.

Everyone that still had their mind and/or was conscious blinked.

And Yang licked her lips.

 _Now_ they were royally screwed.

“Er… I didn’t mean it?” Akeno chuckled awkwardly. Blake, Weiss & Kiba winced as Yang had used Akeno as her weapon of mass destruction. And to beat Rias into the ground. Literally. There was now a Rias-shaped hole in the ground now.

They all wondered at the same time they were either they were extremely lucky Yang hadn’t killed them yet, or extremely unlucky that Yang hadn’t killed them yet.

All they did know was that Yang was going to kill them.

This is not what they pictured how their night was going to be.

Especially a certain raven.

Rias groaned as she picked herself and looked up to see a woman with pitch black hair in front of her. Wearing a shallow cut black dress, five necklaces with an assortment of beads, a red girdle-belt, and a pair of matching gauntlets and wielding long-bladed, single-edged, Japanese-style sword. An ōdachi. And on her face was a fearsome, full-face mask of a creature she didn’t recognize. Weiss & Blake’s eyes widened as they recognized the mask.

It was a mask of a Creature of Grimm. Like the ones the White Fang use.

Oh, and she was holding a plastic bag with three bowls of ramen and a bottle of sake in her left hand.

“Just… who are you?” Rias asked as Akeno limped her way out of the Sanctuary. Raven didn’t pay attention to her as she looked and the uncontrollable blonde in front of her, “What are you doing here? Why-“

“I know what you did. What you’ve done for your selfish desires.” Raven said plainly. Rias’ eyes widened as she heard those words,

“Wh-What are you-“

“Ugh, I’m saving your lives here!” Raven said before taking out a bowl of ramen from the bag, “Here’s some ramen, now stay back and let me talk her down.” Rias raised one of her eyebrows before nervously taking the bowl of ramen and went back to where the others were resting,

“Um, why does she have noodles?” Blake asked. Rias at this point didn’t want to know so she just shrugged and started eating. Meanwhile, Raven and Yang just stared at each other, with Yang growling occasionally. Deep inside her mind, however, she had a feeling that she recognized her. But she was so deep into her bloodlust she could focus on it long enough to remember. Instead, she just roared and charged at her,

“You can do this Raven. You can do this.” Raven whispered to herself, trying to psyche herself up, “Yang, I’m… I’m…” She wanted to say it, she really wanted to say it. She has been practicing ever since she came to Japan and it was high time she said it. Yang deserved it.

But, the words couldn’t get past her throat.

Raven mentally cursed herself for her cowardice and just sighed.

So much for apologizing.

“Saitama-Hibiki.” Raven said. Suddenly, Yang’s eyes turned back to normal as she slowly stopped her charge, the gem on her Sacred Gear becoming a dull grey once again. Yang fell to her knees and groaned,

“Ugh… what hap-“

“GET HER!” Rias shouted out before throwing her ramen at Yang’s face. Before Yang knew it, she was being pinned to the ground by Rias, Kiba and Blake as Koneko, Weiss and Akeno used everything they had to knock Yang out, switching when the first party became too tired. Raven would’ve sweatdropped, but admitted to herself that she would probably do it too if it was Qrow,

“Oh thank God.” Weiss managed to say between breaths from wincing in pain. After several minutes, they finally managed to knock Yang out cold. It was worth the broken hands and toes if it meant Yang not doing anything for at least a few minutes, “That has to be the worst thing to ever happen, ever. Of all time.”

“So, who are you? And what did you do to Yang?” Rias asked Raven, still out of breath,

“I can’t tell you. At least, not yet. And… it’s complicated, alright?” Raven said. She saw that Yang’s Sacred Gear out still on her arm, so she crouched down and checked the gold ring around the gem, “Just enough for everyone.” She then leaned in and whispered into Yang’s ear, “Saitama-Uzumaki.” Suddenly, Yang’s Sacred Gear activated again, causing everyone there to jump back, “Don’t worry. This thing can heal wounds too. Just let it touch your skin. It won’t hurt.” Though they didn’t exactly trust her, but they were all very tired and injured and they remembered they still had to save someone so they let the woman heal them with Yang’s Sacred Gear. Soon, they were refreshed and ready to fight, albeit a little sore in certain areas,

“Thank you, but what’s with the…” Weiss started as she pointed on her face where the mask is supposed to be, “Mask?” Raven looked like she was deep in thought for a moment before nodding to herself,

“I can’t tell you, but I can tell you this.” Raven said as she reached into her pockets and pulled out a large, thick book that shouldn’t be able to fit into a pocket. From the looks of it, it was very old and slightly charred at the sides, “Remnant is built on lies and its entire history is full of liars. My dream is to one day lift the veil.”

“Wait, what!?” Weiss & Blake exclaimed,

“Remnant?” Kiba asked, “I never heard of it.”

“That’s because… it’s our home world.” Weiss answered, “We aren’t from Earth, we’re from another world entirely. Maybe. We came here for a mission that was given by our headmaster. To figure out and stop the strange happenings in the area. You can tell how that worked out for us.”

“Really?” Rias said, surprised at the new information. This needed investigating afterwards,

“Yes. But it doesn’t matter right now.” Raven said as she gave the thick book to the two stunned RWBY Devils, “If you want to know more, find the hopes and dreams of man.” Raven then started walking away,

“Just… who are you?” Blake asked as she held the book in her hands. Raven stopped walking before looking back at the Devils,

“Just a dusty old raven.” She answered before pulling out another bowl of ramen from the plastic bag, “Oh, and uh, give this to Yang. I’m sure she’s hungry after… this.” Raven winced a little as she wondered how the church was still standing after everything, “I’ll see you all around.” Raven said as she created a portal and went into it. After that, the only sounds were the sounds of the night as everyone there just stared at the spot Raven had just been,

“What just happened?” Koneko asked,

“You know, I’m not entirely sure.” Blake answered. Out of curiousity, she opened the book Raven gave her and turned to the first page. It was only a few words.

_Remnants of Peace: Volume 1: Before Rebirth_

Blake flipped through the other pages, only to discover that it had been written in a completely different language that couldn’t be translated, “Hey, I don’t recognize this. Rias, do you?” Blake asked. Rias raised an eyebrow and took a quick look at the book,

“Huh. Interesting…” Rias muttered,

“You can translate it?” Weiss said in surprise,

“No. It’s the opposite in fact. I can’t.” Rias said as she gave the book back to Blake, “This shouldn’t be possible. Devils know all languages. And this certainly isn’t written in code. Looks like we’re gonna have to put this for a later date.”

“This mission is getting more complicated by the second.” Blake said as she tucked the book under her arm, “So, now what?”

“What the Hell happened here?” A voice from behind them asked. They all turned and saw Issei carrying and blonde haired girl and looking around at the destruction, “This place is totally trashed!” He then noticed everyone staring at him and the unconscious Yang, “Huh? Buchou? Akeno? Wait, why is Yang knocked out? What happened!? And why is there ramen!?” Weiss only sighed,

“It’s a very long, very complicated story.”

“…”

“…”

“So… are you-“

“No.”

Issei could only sigh. “Thought so.” Issei then remembered he needed to find a somewhere to place Asia while he and Ruby dealt with Raynare, so he quickly found a bench that wasn’t obliterated and put her there. Her breaths were becoming shorter with every second, “Please. Just hold on a little longer Asia.”

“Is this the girl?” Weiss asked as she approached the nun. She looked deathly pale and Weiss quickly checked her pulse. She was cold and her pulse was becoming faint, “Oh no. What happened?”

“Her Sacred Gear was taken by Raynare. But Ruby’s down there fighting to get it back.” Issei quickly explained, “C’mon Asia. Stay with me. You’re stronger than you think, just don’t close your eyes, keep ‘em open. Come on, Asia. Please…”

“Issei…” Rias whispered to herself as she saw her Pawn trying to keep the girl alive, despite knowing that it was already too late for the girl,

“Don’t worry, we’ll get it back!” Issei declared with determination, “Just hang on for a little longer.” He was about to leave to help Ruby but felt a faint tug coming from his armoured hand. He looked back and saw that Asia was stopping him,

“…Even if it was for a short while… I finally had friends…” Asia said weakly, “…I feel… so happy…”

“What are you saying?” Issei asked before reaching into his back pocket and finding the pictures he, Ruby and Asia took earlier today, “The pictures we took, we have to go next time. Just please, stay awake…” Asia only responded before grabbing the picture,

“…If I am born again…” Asia said softly, tears starting to form in her eyes, “Would you be my friend again? …Would you and Ruby… play with me again?” Issei started to chuckle nervously,

“Wh-What are you saying? Don’t say stuff like that… let’s go to a lot of fun places! Hey, we’ll all go to the arcade again. We can go to karaoke… even bowling…” Issei was starting to cry now. He wasn’t going to let Asia die, he was going to help Ruby take it back, he just needed Asia to last a few minutes longer, “That, you know…”

“Issei.” Rias said, cautioning to speak up, “She’s-“

“Don’t you dare say anything.” Issei growled, causing Rias to shut up. By now, all the others were starting to tear up, “Asia, please… we’re friends! Me and Ruby, we’ll always be your friends! Even after our lives as Issei, Ruby and Asia ends, we’ll find each other and we’ll be friends in the next life! And the next! We promised you that you’ll never be alone again, and like hell I’m breaking it even in death! It’s the bonds we’ve created that ties us together, this invisible unstoppable force that binds our destinies! I’ll even introduce to Matsuda and Motohama! They’re biggest perverted idiots I know, but they’re good people! They’ll be your friends, I guarantee it! We’ll all have fun together! Just…. please…” Asia only smiled and lifted her and up to Issei’s cheek and wiped away the tears,

“…I am glad… you cried for me… I don’t need anything else…” Asia said, feeling herself fade away, “Thank you.”

And then she was gone.

“Why…?” Issei sobbed out,

“Issei…” Weiss whispered out, tears going down her cheek. Who knew this pervert could be so… poetic?

“Why…?” Issei said again, “Why did this girl have to suffer like this? Why does she have to die?” He then pointed at the night sky, “HEY GOD! ANSWER ME! DON’T YOU TAKE THIS GIRL AWAY FROM ME! COME ON! WHY!? JUST FUCKING WHY!?” Issei shouted out before kneeling next to Asia, “Just… please… let me make her smile. Let me and Ruby make her smile one last time…” Issei then looked at his Sacred Gear and knew what he had to do.

Maybe it was fate that led to this moment. Maybe it was chance, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that they were there. They were there to see her smile. They were there to see her cry. Issei looked up at the stars and knew what his entire life had led up to this point.

It was time to truly end Asia’s suffering once and for all.

“She’ll pay.” Issei said, his Sacred Gear glowing, “Everyone who caused this girl to suffer will pay…”

“Issei?” Kiba said as he looked on. There was an immense amount of power coming from his Sacred Gear now,

‘So, this is the power of the Boosted Gear.’ Rias thought with a smirk, ‘This will be interesting.’

And then suddenly, Issei ran. He went down the stairs before leaping off, wanting to get to the Underground Assembly Chamber as fast as possible,

“Promotion! ROOK!” Issei yelled out, promoting to ensure that he would land in one piece. His Sacred Gear continued to glow brighter and brighter as he fell. When he landed, the ground cracked beneath him as he landed in a three-point pose, ‘This is for you, Asia.’ “Raynare, you will pay for what you’ve done.” Issei said as he ran towards the door, pulling back his fist and getting ready to punch it, “I don’t care if God hates me. I don’t care if I’m weak.”

 _Even a Pawn can kill the King_.

“I’ll get Asia’s Sacred Gear back if it’s the last thing I do!” Issei declared as he let his fist fly.

**BOOST!**

“I’M COMING FOR YOU RAYNARE!” Issei yelled out as he blasted the doors open.

And stared.

Because, Asia was already avenged by Ruby. Though, not in the way he expected.

(Rewind!)

“ARGH!” Ruby yelled out as she slashed at Raynare. They’ve been going at it pretty intensely since Issei left to get Asia to safety. Ruby didn’t know where this blue energy was from, but frankly she didn’t care. It was helping, enhancing her body in so many ways. This felt better than when she unlocked her Aura. Hell, this felt better than anything she could think of. Her body moved without her thinking. She just… acted.

She actually had no idea what was going on, especially with the whole blue energy thing, but she was really angry so she didn’t care.

Anyway, both of them jumped back before charging at each other, their weapons clashing in the middle, “Why won’t you just lay down and die!?” Raynare shouted out, “Getting the Sacred Gear won’t change anything!”

“It may not, but I’m still trying!” Ruby shouted back, starting to get the upperhand, “This is for everyone you’ve hurt! This is for me and my friends! This isn’t about taking it back, it’s about paying for your sins!” Suddenly, all of the cyan Devil energy gathered into her hands and used to blast Raynare back. The Fallen Angel quickly recovered as Ruby dashed up and tried to attack. Raynare countered, and actually disarmed Ruby and knocked her weapon away.

But she wasn’t finished. She wasn’t going to fail again.

Again, her body moved before her mind as she gathered everything she had into the palms of her hands, forming into two blue balls of energy. Before Raynare could act, Ruby shoved it into her face.

Darkness.

That’s all what Raynare could see. She looked down at her hands and only saw the white outlines on it. Before she could wonder why, she suddenly collapsed in pain. She looked down and saw that three spears and stabbed her right through her gut. She tried to pull them out but the more she tried, the more pain she felt.

She screamed. She thrashed around as she suddenly felt millions of people beating her senseless to an inch of her life.

And then she opened her eyes.

She was on the ground with Ruby looking at her. Her red eyes were filled with pity, anger and happiness.

Raynare tried to get up, but she could still feel the pain. She tried to use Twilight Healing, but it didn’t work.

“Do you feel that?” Ruby asked with a sadistic smirk. This was not the Ruby from earlier that day. She was worse. Much, much worse, “The pain, the suffering you’ve caused upon others?”

“Wh-What?” Raynare managed to get out,

“That was just Issei’s suffering.” Ruby answered as she summoned another ball of energy, “And this is mine.” Before Raynare could react, Ruby shoved the ball down her throat. She screamed in pain as she felt herself getting torn apart from the inside out.

Guilt. Pain. Weakness. Sadness. Loneliness She felt everything Ruby felt, all of her suffering throughout her life, tenfold. It was torture. And these sequences kept repeating. Over and over. All she could feel was pain.

“This is Weiss’.”

Raynare kept screaming and thrashing around. All she wanted was the pain to stop.

“This is Blake’s.”

All she could feel was her head trying to split open. To try and get rid of everything she’s felt so far. It wasn’t working.

“This is Yang’s.”

She wanted it to end. She wanted to die. She couldn’t handle any of this anymore. Raynare summoned a light spear, wanting to commit suicide, but Ruby stepped on both of her hands before she could.

“N-N-N-No m-m-m-m-m-more… please…” Raynare choked out. She was an absolute wreck and crying. She didn’t care anymore. Even if someone were to get rid of all of her pain receptors, even if she could no longer feel pain, she just wanted her life to end, “No more…”

“And this is Asia’s.” Ruby said before shoving into Raynare’s face before kicking her against the wall.

And thus started the worst ten seconds of her life.

“Do you think you’ve had enough? After everything you’ve done?” Ruby asked the now crying, _broken_ , Fallen Angel,

“Kill me.” Raynare could only say weakly. She just wanted her life to end.

Ruby had other ideas however.

“I don’t think you’ve suffered enough.” Ruby stated before creating another ball of blue energy, causing Raynare to panic,

“No. NO! NO MORE!” Raynare cried out as she tried to get away from Ruby, but from the intense pain she was feeling right now, all she could do stare at Ruby, who was slowly approaching her,

“They say that an eye for an eye makes whole world go blind.” Ruby said as she studied the ball of energy before looking back at Raynare, “Those people fucking liars. Eye for an Eye.”

And those were the last thing she heard before everything around her shattered.

And that was Raynare’s last moment before she was destroyed.

(Present!)

“Oh…” Ruby groaned as she rubbed her head, “What happened?” She tried searching her memories, and could remember bits and pieces. Asia’s Sacred Gear was taken by… someone… and the next thing she knew, she knocked out by a flying door. She groaned again and opened her eyes only to realize one thing.

She was using someone’s boobs as pillows.

“Are you of good health?” A voice, a girl’s, asked, her voice empty. Ruby looked up and saw her eyes, completely devoid of a soul,

Ruby quickly blushed before she realized who this person was.

It was Raynare. And she was completely naked.

She frantically got off her and stepped away. She had no idea what was happening so she needed to find the others and try and regroup. She then bumped her back on Issei, who was just staring at the naked Fallen Angel with a bleeding nose.

“I-Issei, what the-WHAT’S HAPPENING!?” Ruby shouted out, shocking Issei out of his trance. Raynare stood up and approached the Human King,

“Mistress, do you not remember?” Raynare said, her expression still blank,

“Um, what?” Ruby & Issei asked. Raynare then kneeled down, took Ruby’s hand and kissed it,

“I am nothing. I am not alive. I do not exist. I only serve my Mistress. I do not have a name. I do not remember what I am before my rebirth. My name is of your choosing. My life is yours to use. Throw me away, destroy me, I am here only to serve the one that has given me my rebirth.” Raynare said tonelessly, before showing off her new Devil wings, “I am your Pawn. And I only live to serve Ruby Rose, my King. My master.”

Ruby blinked.

Issei blinked.

And Raynare just stared blankly at them.

“Excuse me but do you mind repeating that?” Issei asked. Raynare only blinked and continued to stare,

“U-U-Uh, d-d-d-do y-yo-y-you m-mi-m-mi-mind s-sa-say-s-saying th-t-t-th-t-that a-ag-a-ag-a-ag-again?” Ruby squeaked out,

“I am your Pawn until the end of my life, Mistress.” Raynare responded plainly,

“Oh.” Ruby said, right before fainting on the spot. Issei freaked out and was about to try and awaken Ruby, only for Raynare to catch his hand,

“Do not harm my King.” Raynare said, only for Issei to respond by punching her in the face with his Sacred Gear,

“That’s… a lot… of stairs…” Weiss panted out as everyone else finally made it down to the Underground Assembly Chamber, with Koneko dragging the still unconscious Yang down the stairs by her left leg, leaving a nice indent in each step, “Issei! We’re here to help!”

“Let’s go get-why is she naked?” Blake asked as she saw the naked former Fallen Angel, “And why does she have Devil wings?”

“I have no idea.” Issei answered before looking at the unconscious Ruby, “But, I think do know one thing.” Issei said as he saw Raynare, having recovered from the attack, approaching Ruby and placing her head on her lap, “I don’t wanna know.”

Rias only looked at Ruby & Yang and realized this was going to get a whole lot more complicated.

(A few minutes later…)

“U-Uh… give Asia’s Sacred Gear back.” Ruby nervously told the soulless Raynare, who was now dressed in the clothes she wore on her & Issei’s date. After Ruby woke up, Issei explained everything she missed out on like Asia dying and the state of the church, which the others were very reluctant to reveal how it became that way, as they were walking back up to the surface while explaining that Raynare was now a Devil of Ruby’s peerage. Now they were in the process of keeping their promise to the dead nun,

“Of course, my King.” Raynare said as she placed a hand on her chest over the symbol. Due to only recently getting the Sacred Gear, she could remove it without dying as it hadn’t fully integrated into her body yet,

“We aren’t going back to Remnant, are we?” Blake stated as she saw Yang starting to stir,

“I know. I’ve known that for a long time.” Weiss replied,

“Ugh… what happened?” Yang muttered as she got up and looked around, “Wait, what? What the Hell happened?” She then looked around and saw the surprisingly clean puddle of flesh. Yang looked a little green when she saw it, “Oh Go-Hell, what happened to… that?”

“It’s… better if you don’t know.” Kiba answered. Rias, Akeno, Weiss, Blake, Koneko and Kiba promised to never speak of that incident ever again and make sure it never happens again. Not until they understood what to do if it were to happen again.

And, when they find the Ramen Lady.

“So, this light…” Issei started as Raynare gave the orb to Ruby,

“This is Asia’s Sacred Gear.” Ruby finished. She could feel a calming, almost peaceful aura coming from it,

“Hey, wait a minute, isn’t that…” Yang said as she recognized Raynare,

“Please don’t attack her.” Weiss informed the Blonde Brawler, “She’s… one of us now. She’s a Pawn.”

“…Huh?” Yang said, only to be shushed by Koneko,

“Let it go.” Koneko told her, “The girl killed you isn’t there anymore. Only her body remains.” Yang wondered what Koneko meant before shaking her head. She could always have her revenge later,

“Now then, let’s return this to Asia Argento-san.” Rias stated as she took the Sacred Gear from Ruby,

“Why though? She’s already… gone.” Ruby said sadly, “I think Raynare said it herself. Even if we give it back, she’s still dead. In the end… we couldn’t save her. Even though we promised, we still failed!”

‘What was the point of coming here anyway?’ Issei thought to himself, ‘We did beat the Fallen Angels, but in the end, it wasn’t worth it.’ He then shook his head, ‘No! That’s rude to my comrades.’ “We did our best Ruby. Even if things didn’t work out in the end, at least we tried.” Issei told the crying girls softly. Ruby sniffled a little before wiping away her tears,

“Y-Yeah. We tried.” Ruby whispered out as she smiled at the pervert before standing up and looking at her friends, “Prez, everyone. Thanks for helping us fight for me, Issei and Asia’s sake. You all went through the trouble of helping us and yet…”

“Ruby, you need to remember, this isn’t your first life.” Rias interrupted as she pulled out a Bishop Piece, “Recognize this?”

“Uh… that’s the Bishop, right?” Issei hazarded a guess while Kiba and Koneko got Asia’s body as Akeno started preparing the ritual,

“Right. Ruby, how many Evil Pieces do you have left?” Rias asked, turning on her lecture mode,

“Well…” Ruby started as she checked her chess set, “I still have my Queen, a Bishop, a Knight, a Rook and all of my Pawns except… er, you know. Why do you ask?”

“Because, people with a Title of Nobility, such as Kings, should have a complete chess set. And thus, potentially, 15 people in their peerage.” Rias explained as she put Asia’s Sacred Gear above her chest as well as the Bishop Evil Piece, “I’ve already used my Queen, a Knight, a Rook, a Bishop and Pawns, totaling my number of peerage members to 5. Ruby has four right now. The Bishop’s power is to follow its family. I can use this girl’s restoration powers as a Bishop.” Rias then looked at the dead nun, “Although this is unheard of, I’ll try and-“ Rias didn’t finish her sentence as Ruby quickly pulled her into a hug,

“Thank you…” Ruby sobbed out before realizing something, “Wait, why can’t I revive her?”

“Um…” Rias said as she tried to think of a reason, “Because you already have a Bishop.”

“Yeah, but, you just said you already used yours.” Said Bishop pointed out. Rias, Akeno, Koneko and Kiba froze for a second before they continued what they were doing,

“M-My, uh, other… Bishop is… a little occupied right now. And… you can only reincarnate one person per day.” Rias said awkwardly before coughing while mentally cursing herself for lying even more. One day, this was going to bite her in the ass. The RWBYs and Issei didn’t buy it but they just went with it, “Anyway, let’s do this.” Rias said as she stood over Asia, “I command thee, Asia Argento, on my name Rias Gremory, become my servant and once more return thy soul to this land and become a Devil.” Suddenly, light started to fill the area as the others watched on, “Thou shall lead a new life as my Bishop!” Ruby covered her eyes as the light was starting to blind her, but let some light in to see Asia’s Twilight Healing and the Bishop Piece sink into her body,

“There’s a simple unstoppable force that binds us together. In life and death, we promise… we’ll never leave you alone…” Ruby & Issei whispered to themselves as Asia opened her eyes,

“Hm… I…” Asia groaned a little. She felt like she just woke up from a deep sleep. She looked around and saw some people she didn’t recognize except… “Ruby-san? Issei-san?” Ruby and Issei could only laugh as tear flowed down their faces,

“Thank you, Buchou.” Issei whispered out. Rias sighed softly before smiling. The things she does for the happiness of her peerage,

“Issei, Ruby, you two are her sempais now. Show her the ropes of the peerage.” Rias said, “Now, go and take care of her and show her the ropes. Ruby, I grant you permission to act as Issei & Asia’s King if you wish. We’ll work out the details later.”

“Hey, WHAT!?” Issei & Ruby exclaimed before Rias pushed them towards the newly reincarnated Devil, causing them to trip and land on Asia. They all groaned in pain before they looked at each other and laughed,

“Welcome back, Asia.” Ruby said,

“We promised, didn’t we?” Issei said. They all hugged each other while the others looked on, “Let’s go back. We need to replace Ratchu-kun after all.” Asia looked at them in surprised before smiling and squeezing them tightly,

“Of course.” Everyone smiled as they saw the three friends hug each other. It was such a sweet moment.

Too bad Yang had to ruin it.

“Hey… when can I beat up the Fallen Angel?” Yang asked, causing everyone there to sigh,

“…Promote to Rook.” Ruby said as she continued to hug Asia.

“Of course. Promotion, Rook.” Raynare said robotically,

“Okay, Yang! She’s yours!” Yang only smirked as she cracked her knuckles.

Time for some much needed therapy.

(Some time later…)

“So that was a thing.” Yang said as Team RWBY and their newest member entered the apartment. Apparently, Raynare couldn’t remember where she lived so after Yang’s therapy session, they decided to cut the now former Fallen Angel some slack and let her live in the apartment until they got her a place to stay,

“Yeah, it was…” Blake muttered, wincing at the memories of Yang’s… thing… whatever it was. She just wanted to rest and study the book the Ramen Lady gave them. Maybe try and translate it,

“We still need to do the report. We’re overdue by several days.” Weiss pointed out, “What do we say? ‘Oh, we’re Devils now! We’ve been reincarnated by someone we don’t know after died! And the person who killed us is an emotionless puppet now due something happening!’ Ruby, do you even remember what you did?”

“Why do you guys assume I did it!?” Ruby exclaimed, “I don’t remember! Maybe someone…”

“It was most likely you! You were the only one there to fight the Fallen Angel! So what did you do!?” Weiss called out,

“I DON’T FUCKING KNOW!” Ruby yelled at the Heiress, her Devil energy flaring. After things settled down, they all just collapsed to their knees,

“Are you calm, Mistress?” Raynare asked,

“I-I’m…” Ruby started before sighing, “We’re not going back to Remnant, are we?” Everyone nodded sadly. Zwei saw that the girls were back and quickly ran and jumped into Ruby’s lap. Ruby absentmindedly petted the corgi as she tried to figure out their next move. She sighed as she knew what she had to do. She put Zwei down and went to do the report. After attaching a copy of the photos she, Issei and Asia took earlier at the arcade to the report, she read the only line in it before sending it.

Team RWBY is dead, as the life we used to live is no longer an option.

“Friend Ruby… I hope you are still here.” Penny muttered as she looked at the school in front of her.

Today was the first day of her mission.

(The Day Before…)

“Alright, let’s see…” Rias muttered as she pulled out a book from her personal library and turned to the page she wanted, “There we go. Alright, let’s see what my apprentice can do.” She said to no one in particular as she read the title of the chapter.

_Chapter 7: The Power of Suffering_


	8. A Simple Integration

_Remnants of Peace_  
Volume 1  
Before Rebirth

_Prologue  
My Story_

_In the before times, where death was nothing more than a wrench in our complex strategies and the world we lived in always seemed to be at the brink of destruction, before we had given up, we were enemies. We were supposed to hate each other with a burning passion. Everyone told each other that they were monsters, that it was either them or us. That was the world we had lived in._

_But in reality, we didn’t. We were simply fed up with all the death and destruction that surrounded us._

_That war… that event that caused so much grief… it had broken too many people that I had lost count. My brothers. My sisters. My dad. My mum. Many had fallen to a blade or could not deal with the consequences of their actions._

_I was almost among the dead._

_I am… I used to be a Priest. Regretfully, our family was the 24 th generation of Priests. The Angels had recruited my family to help deal with the Devils and Fallen Angels. And I always had this… anger… a need of revenge for my family for as long as I could remember. For too long, I had this anger build up inside me as I trained to destroy those who were in my way. They had told me that this person was scum, that this person killed them in cold blood. I believed them. Now that I think about it, I actually didn’t care. The flaming anger inside would only be quenched by the blood of the killer._

_I was a fucking idiot._

_It was self defense as it turns out. My family’s murderer was a Devil. Barely six years old, my age at the time, when she killed them. My family had been fighting with the girl’s family since the war started. They had killed her parents in front of her, so she retaliated. When I found her, she was missing an arm and her eyes told me that she had seen too many things but she was alive._

_She was the only one alive._

_When I saw her… I was conflicted. She was dead inside. Everyone she knew and loved were gone. But the anger inside wanted her blood. And back then I was ready to give it what it needed. How I came to the conclusion I eventually went with, I don’t know. What really matters was what happened afterwards. How… by my single action I created something both beautiful and horrible at the same time._

_I kissed her._

_It was a night of passion that I would never forget. The way she moved. The way she screamed my name. The way she did the thing with the… actually, if I mention it she’ll kill me. Even nowadays, she still gives me a reason to live even as my days grow shorter by the second. Our bond was too strong to let my age and body get in the way of happiness. Mine and hers. She gave me a reason to let go of my anger and I gave her a reason to live, even just a little bit longer. But I am just an old man now, and outside as people are getting rid of the past so that the future may look brighter, in their minds at least, I write so that those who do not know will know how our past defined the future. How, in a sense, I found an entire new world for those sick of war to live in._

_This is the story of how Remnant was born._

Raven sighed as she folded up the copy of the page from the first volume and hid it away. She drank some sake straight from the bottle, letting the alcohol dull her senses. Now, sake didn’t have much alcohol content than she had previously believe but Qrow didn’t call her a lightweight for nothing. Especially after graduation when she _really_ got drunk and pulled Summer into a fierce…

She blushed, and it wasn’t just the alcohol.

She sighed, put down the bottle next to the empty bowl of ramen and looked around the apartment she rented. It was sparse and boring, but she wasn’t one for decoration. It had everything she needed to live and that was all she cared for. She looked down, pulled up her shirt and stared at the symbol located where her womb should be. The same womb that birthed Yang, the little fiery dragon she abandoned.

“I am such a dumbass.” Raven muttered to herself. She should’ve kept a closer eye on her. Hell, the only reason she came to Japan was to make sure she didn’t interact with anything supernatural, especially Devils. But she was always just too late to fix the situation. She could create portals to anywhere, and yet she was always too late. She sighed before turning on the TV. She groaned as she saw it was a news report on the ruined abandoned church. She turned it off and started taking off her clothes.

She really needed a shower.

(The RWBY Apartment)

The RWBYs stared into space as they waited for breakfast to be served. They were still getting over the events of the Asia Rescue Mission, even though a week had passed since then. Everything around them had changed so suddenly and they were still getting used to their new abilities and powers.

But, that wasn’t the reason why they were staring off into space.

“Your breakfast is ready, my King.” The new addition to their little group announced in her dead tone. They nodded and got their breakfast of bacon, eggs and a large stack of pancakes. Out of all things, Raynare was only able to retain her cooking ability, which they had to admit was really good for a mindless, soulless Fallen-turned-Devil. They were still extremely uncomfortable with Raynare’s presence, considering that she pretty much caused their deaths, but at least Zwei seemed to like her.

Well, it was more like he liked using her wings as a chew toy but it was something.

“Th-T-Th-T-Thank y-y-yo-you. R-Ray-Ra-Raynare.” Ruby stuttered. If they ever went back to Remnant, it was going to be a really uncomfortable explanation on how she got a slave. Raynare only tilted her head in confusion,

“Who is this ‘Raynare’? My name is Pancakes.” Pancakes the Fallen Angel said. The RWBYs blushed as they remembered how the mindless Fallen Angel came to that conclusion.

(Flashback!)

“What the Hell do we do with her?” Yang whispered to her teammates. It had only need 8 hours after the Asia Rescue Mission and now Raynare was cooking breakfast after she filled up Zwei’s food bowl as they discussed the aftermath of it, “I mean, I’m all up for revenge, but don’t you guys think keeping _a mindless slave, our murderer, **in our apartment**_ is a good idea!?”

“Yang, it’s my fault.” Ruby spoke up, “Even though I don’t remember, even though she killed us, I feel like it’s my responsibility to take care of her.”

“Ruby. She. Killed. Us.” Weiss said slowly,

“Yeah, but this…” Blake muttered as she looked at the former Fallen Angel, “This is a fate worse than death. I’m not saying I forgive her, and I’m not saying we should, but remember what Koneko said. She’s no longer our killer. She’s just an empty shell.”

“Still, it’s going to be weird.” Yang said, “I mean, we basically have a slave. What do we do with her? She is… one of us now.” Everyone then looked at Ruby, who only shrank in her seat,

“…I don’t know.” Ruby answered as she clutched her head, “I’m still just getting my head around everything.”

“Well, we’ll decided later.” Weiss said with a sigh,

“Your breakfast is ready, Mistress.” Raynare announced in a flat tone. The RWBYs looked at each other before slowly getting up from their seats and grabbing breakfast. They stared at the stack of pancakes in front of them. It had whipped cream, strawberries, syrup. The works. They had to admit, it looked really good. Yang was the first one to dig in. Her eyes widened at the taste,

“Huh? Yang!?” Ruby called out as Yang dropped her fork. She quickly turned her gaze to Raynare and glared. She was about to attack as she thought Raynare was acting, only to stop when she heard Yang chowing down on her stack,

“THESE ARE THE BEST! PANCAKES! EVER!” Yang yelled out in satisfaction, putting away the food in about 10 seconds. Yang then noticed the stares coming from her teammates, “Er… I mean, eh, they decent.” They raised their eyebrows before taking a bite,

“What the-What did you put in this!?” Ruby exclaimed, her taste buds in orgasm as soon as the food touched her tongue,

“Flour.” Raynare answered with a tilt to her head,

“What else?” Blake asked. Raynare didn’t respond this time,

“Oh.” Ruby said, having realized this the night before, after sending the report, “R-Raynare. You must listen to my teammates and do what they want you to do as though they were me.” Raynare only looked confused,

“Who is Raynare? Are you referring to me? I have no name.” Raynare reminded her King, “I cannot remember it. And even if I did, I do not wish it to be my name. The life I had led before is gone, therefore I should abandon everything related to it. But, as you wish my King.”

“Please just call me Ruby…” Ruby groaned,

“Of course, Ruby-sama.” Raynare replied, causing Ruby to groan again,

“Hey, are you going to eat?” Yang asked, “If you’re going to be our maid, you’re going to need the energy.”

“Only if Mistress allows me.” Raynare answered, “Even though my King has told me to respond to you, all of my actions must go through Ruby-sama. She has the final say in my actions, as she is my Master.”

“So… you’re literally a Pawn.” Blake clarified. Raynare nodded in response, “Well, at least it’s appropriate…” Blake muttered under her breath,

“Ruby-sama, do you wish for me to eat?” Raynare asked,

“Yeah. Sure, Raynare.” Ruby sighed. It was way too early for her to deal with this. Raynare only looked confused,

“Who is Raynare?” She asked in the same tone as she did before,

“Ugh!” Ruby said, having enough, “You!”

“Ruby-sama, I have to remind you-“

“Ugh! Fine! I’ll give you a new name!” Ruby called out, just wanting to escape the situation. She just said the first thing that came in mind when looking at the former Fallen Angel, “Pancakes! Your name is now Pancakes!” Ruby then checked the clock, “C’mon, let’s just go to school.” And with that, they went out to attend Kuoh, leaving Raynare to stand there,

“My name is Pancakes.” The now renamed Pancakes said flatly. If she had her emotions, she would’ve smiled, “My name is Pancakes.” She repeated before remembering the order she got before Ruby gave her new name to her, “My name is Pancakes.” She said again, liking the feeling of the word go past her lips before making pancakes for herself.

She needed the energy for her next command after all.

(Present!)

“Why did Rias ask me to bring Raynare with us to school anyway?” Ruby muttered to herself as they made their way to school. Raynare was now wearing a Kuoh Academy uniform, which had provided,

“I’m not sure, but at least she’s smart enough to think ahead.” Blake answered as she looked at the soulless Fallen Angel, “It’ll at least make people think she’s a student for a little while.”

“Still, I wonder what Rias wants.” Weiss said, “She hasn’t been in the clubroom much.”

“Yeah.” Yang muttered before remembering the ORC’s reactions to Raynare’s new name after they realized it stuck, “You think Rias is planning something?” The others shrugged in response. Rias was still a bit of a mystery to them, but they trusted her. Anyway, after a few more minutes, they arrived at the entrance to Kuoh,

“Alright, Rias told me to meet with her right now.” Ruby said before turning to Pancakes, “Remember, stay quiet. Reply to any question that’s asked. And please don’t tell anyone your name is Pancakes. Yang, you’re in charge of Pancakes. Pancakes, just think Yang is me until I return.”

“Yes, Ruby-sama.” Pancakes replied with a bow,

“I’ll see you in homeroom!” Ruby called out before dashing to the clubroom,

“C’mon, let’s head over to class.” Yang said they all made their way to the school, not noticing a familiar girl behind them,

“Friend Ruby… I hope you are still here.” Penny muttered as she looked at the school in front of her. After the report the RWBYs had sent, it was quickly recommended that Penny was to be sent to Japan to investigate. While she had the slight suspicion that after the supposed death for four Huntresses-In-Training that she was slightly more expendable, considering that she was on the mission alone, but wrote it off. She was the only robot with a soul in existence, so she guessed that they sent her for her combat capabilities. Whatever the reason, she took the mission without hesitation. Ruby was her friend and if she really was killed…

She was going to slaughter everyone involved in her death.

She quickly checked her mission objective at the corner of her eyes. It seemed simple enough. Investigate the supposed death of Team RWBY, collect their remains and then leave. If they turned out to be alive, capture them and send them back to Remnant for trial. Of course, if they were alive, she wouldn’t do that. She only took the mission to find her only friend, or at least what’s left of her, and give her the rest she deserved, as well as the other members of Team RWBY. Their supposed death was kept secret until someone of authority decided to release the details to the public, with relatives and friends receiving the news first. As far as she knew, only Headmaster Ozpin, Glynda Goodwitch and Ironwood knew. She sighed before quickly scanning the school in front of her.

She had a mission to do after all.

(Occult Research Club)

Ruby took a deep breath as she approached the entrance to the clubroom. For some reason she felt nervous but quickly shook it off. It was probably because she was worried that Ray-Pancakes would blow it. She was so distracted she didn’t see Issei coming up behind her, “Good morning, Ruby!” Issei greeted. This caused Ruby to jump in shock before pulled out Crescent Rose and aiming it at him, “Whoa! Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!” Issei exclaimed as he pulled up his arms,

“Oh… sorry…” Ruby apologized between breaths as she put Crescent Rose, “Just don’t do that again!”

“Sorry…” Issei said before rubbing the back of his neck, “Hey, have you seen Asia lately?”

“Not really. I haven’t Rias seen much either.” Ruby answered, “At least we figured out how to share peerage members. But anyway, why are you here?”

“Rias told me. I’m guessing Rias called you too?” Issei guessed. Ruby nodded, “Huh, I wonder what she wants if she called for the both of us.”

“Well, there’s only one way to find out…” Ruby said, “Rias wanted Raynare to come to school after all.” For a second, she noticed Issei looked troubled by the mere mention of her name. She also noticed it when she told the ORC Raynare’s new name. She put up a mental reminder to talk to Issei about it before opening the door to the clubroom, only to see Rias having some tea, “Morning Prez!”

“My, you two came on time.” Rias said after taking a sip of her tea, “How’s your legs, by the way?”

“It’s completely healed.” Issei answered, with Ruby nodding. “Wow, Asia’s Twilight Healing really is amazing!”

“I see.” Rias said as she put down her empty cup, “Her healing ability can’t be underestimated. No wonder those Fallen Angels wanted it.”

“Um…” Issei started as he and Ruby took a seat on the couch across from Rias, “It’s been bothering me lately…”

“What is it?” Ruby asked,

“Well, there are 15 Evil Pieces in total, right?” Issei said. Ruby and Rias nodded, “And there are 8 Pawn Pieces. So 7 other Pawn Pieces can exist besides me, right?”

“Nope. I only have one Pawn, and that’s you Issei.” Rias answered, before deciding to tease him a little, “You’re the only one for me, Issei… please don’t make me say it… it’s embarrassing…”

“EH!?” Ruby and Issei exclaimed, both with blushes on their faces. Issei was sputtering as he tried to comprehend what he just heard,

“Ruby, you need to listen to this.” Rias said, chuckling at the two’s antics,

“O-O-Of course, Rias-sensei.” Ruby stuttered out, “S-So… what do you mean by Issei being your only Pawn?”

“Well, to reincarnate humans to Devils, you need Evil Pieces, but depending on the abilities of the person, you may need more than normal for it to work.” Rias explained,

“More than normal…” Ruby repeated, “Er… what?”

“You see, in the world of chess, each piece has a value equal to the number of Pawns. Pawns are worth one, real surprise there, Knights and Bishops are worth three, Rooks are worth five, and the Queen’s value is nine Pawns.” Rias continued, “Similarly depending on the value of the person being reincarnated, the amount of Pieces needed varies. Since you can’t put different types of pieces in a single person, the Pieces you can use are limited. Also, once you use those Pieces, they’re gone so you have to be careful about who you use them on.”

“So how is that related to me?” Issei asked,

“To put it simply, you used all my Pawn Pieces.” Rias answered, “If I didn’t, well you wouldn’t be here right now.”

“I’M/HE’S WORTH WHAT!?” Issei & Ruby exclaimed,

“I’m worth 8 Pawn Pieces!?” Issei shouted out in surprise,

“Yeah, I didn’t understand it myself but now I know why.” Rias said, “Issei, your Sacred Gear isn’t Twice Critical. It’s known as the Boosted Gear, ‘Red Dragon Emperor’s Gauntlet’, also known as the Supreme God’s Vanquishing Gear, ‘St. Longinus’ is what you possess, Issei. That’s why your value increased.” Suddenly, Issei remembered something that faintly sounded in his mind when he went to beat up Raynare,

“Every 10 seconds my power doubles…” Issei muttered as he stared at his hand, “Depending on how it’s used… I can kill Gods...! A Longinus Gear…”

“You… can kill Gods…?” Ruby asked in amazement, staring at her friend, “Then… what’s Yang’s?”

“Well, I’ve done some research on it.” Rias said, wincing at the memories, “From the description Blake gave me and experiencing it myself…”

“Wait, did Yang hurt you?”

“No!” Rias quickly reassured the red wearing King, not wanting her to freak out, “She just used it to kill Freed, nothing more. Anyway, after some research, I managed to find out something very surprising about Bloodlust. It’s a Longinus too.”

“So Yang can kill Gods too!?” Ruby exclaimed, “Wait a minute, then why is Yang worth five Pawns!?”

“I don’t know. There’s little to no evidence that it exists. No records, no pictures, what my guess is that Yang’s Sacred Gear is completely new. It even be stronger than the Booster Gear. I only came to that conclusion due to Blake’s description. Unlike Issei’s, which his power is determined by 2 to the power of x, with x being the variable, Yang’s power is determined by factorials. You know, x!=x(x-1)(x-2)(x-3) and so on until x=x. So say Yang’s power is 10 factorial (10!), and Issei waits 100 seconds making it 2 by the power of 10. While Issei’s power id 1,024 times his original power, Yang’s power is 3,628,800 times her base power.” Issei & Ruby’s jaws dropped at the numbers given,

“Why am I worth 8 Pieces again?” Issei squeaked out, his head hurting from all the numbers,

“Well, it’s simple from what I’ve gathered.” Rias said, “It’s the sanity to power ratio.”

“Sanity to Power Ratio?” Ruby asked,

“You see, the Boosted Gear puts a strain on the user’s body, but they remain completely sane throughout it. Yang, however, lost her sanity only a few moments after activating her Sacred Gear. Don’t worry Ruby, we managed to calm her down but she was knocked out just in case. Though, she isn’t aware of it, like you and what you did to Ra-Pancakes” Rias quickly reassured her fellow King, chuckling a little at the name before becoming serious, “While the Booster Gear’s power pales in comparison to Bloodlust, you have to realize that it can be overcome by simply training one’s body. Training one’s mind, however, is a whole different story. Plus, the time it takes to increase one’s power with Bloodlust becomes longer and longer with every increase. It starts at one minute but by 3!, it takes 10 minutes and thus her power is times by six, while Issei here can reach 2 to the power of 3 of his power in 30 seconds, which yields times 8 his base power. If Issei and Yang were to fight, Issei could beat Yang if he was fast enough, but if the match takes too long, the match would go to Yang. It’s all just a theory however, as Yang’s Sacred Gear is new and the lack of information on it.”

“So… that’s why I’m 8 Pieces?” Issei said, trying to wrap his head around all the information,

“Yeah. If I didn’t use 8 Pawns, I wouldn’t be able to reincarnate you.” Rias said, “The power of the Pawn is unknown, so I gambled on that possibility. The result was that you were the best. The Crimson Ruin Princess, the Ruby Low-Class King and the Red Dragon Emperor. We’re all red. Isn’t that funny?”

“Yeah…” Ruby chuckled out before looking down at her hands. She remembered some sort of cyan energy coming from it but when she thought about it, she got a small headache,

“Just focus on becoming the strongest you can be, you two.” Rias encouraged them, “Issei, become the strongest Pawn, because if it’s you, you can do it. And Ruby, I’m looking into what may have happened down there, but I am sure you have the potential to become a great King. Don’t forget that.” She then stood up and pushed Issei’s chin up, “This is a good luck charm.” Ruby & Issei’s eyes widened as he thought she was going to kiss Issei, but ended up kissing his forehead. It was still worth it. Rias just patted Ruby’s head, which annoyed her, but it still felt nice,

“Er… why the affection?” Ruby asked while mentally adding, ‘Or the lack there of.’

“Well, if I don’t stop adoring you two, then I’ll be envied by the two new members?” Rias answered,

“New members?” Ruby and Issei asked before they heard the door open, the new members of the ORC entering,

“I-Issei-san… Ru-Ruby-san…” Asia greeted nervously in her new uniform,

“Ruby-sama, I’ve been told by Yang-sama who interacted with a woman named Akeno Himejima to come here. I was not aware you are here to greet me.” Pancakes explained flatly,

“Asia…?” Issei whispered out, wondering what was happening,

“Pancakes!?” Ruby exclaimed, also wondering what the hell happening, before groaning as she realized what she just yelled out,

“I-I see. S-Since Rias-buchou is pretty, that’s why… Issei-san fell in love with her…” Asia said before realizing what she was thinking about, “NO, NOT GOOD, NOT GOOD!” Asia suddenly yelled out, “I CAN’T THINK OF SUCH THINGS! Ah, oh Lord, please forgive me for my sinful heart!”

“Asia! No!” Issei and Ruby yelled out before suffering headaches along with Asia and the other Devils, before chill ran down their spines as Pancakes towered over Asia, her eyes hidden before her hair,

“ _You hurt Mistress_ …” Pancakes said in a cold as ice voice as she summoned a light spear, “ _No harm must come to my King… Ever…_ ”

“Pancakes! Sit!” Ruby called out. Pancakes stopped what she did and sat down like an obedient dog, “Er, stay!”

“Of course, Ruby-sama.” Pancakes replied as she bowed her head,

“Dude, that’s just weird.” Issei stated,

“Tell me about…” Ruby grumbled,

“Oh… forgot to tell you praying to God’s gonna hurt…” Rias chuckled, suffering her own headache,

“Is that so? I became a Devil… I can’t face God anymore.” Asia muttered, looking a little sad,

“Do you regret it?” Rias asked,

“No.” Asia answered with a smile, “No matter what form I take, if I can be with my friends like this, then I am happy. Thank you very much!”

“Well then. If that’s the case, from today onwards, you’ll mainly be my servant but Ruby can act as your King if I give permission.” Rias said,

“Of course! I’ll do my best!” Asia said with determination in her voice,

“Hey, are you comfortable with Pancakes being around?” Ruby asked Issei,

“I don’t know…” Issei answered quietly before cracking a smile, “But I’ll get used to it right?”

“Yeah. She’s here to stay I guess.” Ruby muttered before realizing something, “Wait a minute, that means Asia and Pancakes are attending Kuoh!?”

“It took you that long?” Rias joked, “Didn’t you notice the uniforms?”

“Does it look good?” Asia asked as she twirled around, unintentionally showing her panties. Issei quickly grabbed her hands,

“It’s great! Let’s take a picture as a keepsake!” Issei shouted out, only to be shoved out of the way by Ruby,

“Oh no you don’t, pervert!” Ruby said, “Pancakes! Take the picture!”

“I regret to inform you I do not have a camera on my person.” Pancakes said as she looked down, still sitting like a dog, “Please forgive me for my unpreparedness.”

“Well, since both of them look roughly the same age as you two, they’re both second years.” Rias spoke up, “I even made arrangements for both of them attend the same class.”

“ _Really_!?” Ruby and Issei exclaimed in happiness before remembering Pancakes was still there, “Really?”

“Just take care of them. I believe in you guys.” Rias said as she winked,

“I am under your care, Ruby-san, Issei-san.” Asia said as she bowed,

“I was not aware I am attending school.” Pancakes said, “But if I am closer to Mistress, I will be there to ensure she is not hurt. Mistress, do I have permission to thank Miss Gremory?”

“You may.” Ruby replied with a nod,

“Now I can introduce you to my bad friends!” Issei exclaimed happily, imagining their jealous looks,

“I’ll be happy to meet them.” Asia said while smiling. Then the door opened to reveal Kiba entering with a greeting. Soon enough, every member of the ORC had arrived,

“Looks like the gang’s all here.” Yang said before looking at Asia, “So you must be my sis’ friend. I’m Yang! Over there’s Blake and Weiss, also known as Ice Queen.”

“HEY!” Weiss called out indigently before grumbling, “Nice to meet you.”

“Glad to meet you all.” Asia replied politely, “G-Good morning!”

“Well then, since everyone’s gather, let’s get this party started!” Rias declared before using some of her magic to summon a cake, “It’s good to do things like this every once and a while when everyone’s here in the morning, isn’t it? Since two new club members have joined and I wanted to bake a cake, let eat it together!”

“Yay!” Ruby cheered out, “I got first piece!”

“Oh no you don’t!” Issei called out, “I am not letting you get the first slice of Buchou’s homemade baking!”

“It’s only because we had leftover flour…” Rias grumbled as the two continued to bicker,

“Please cut it fast.” Koneko said, becoming more annoyed by the two’s antics. As the party went on and everyone got a slice, Ruby noticed Rias looked sad before perking up when Akeno approached her. She narrowed her eyes but went back to talking to her teammates. Before long, the bell rang, signaling the start of a new school day. Everyone said their goodbyes and started heading to class. As Ruby ran, she felt like she hadn’t smiled in a long time.

She felt like nothing would ruin it.

(5 minutes later)

The smile was instantly ruined as soon as Pancakes introduced herself after Asia, “My name is Pancakes.” Pancakes answered for what felt like the millionth time,

“And…” the teacher asked again,

“My name is Pancakes.” Ruby knew this was going to go on for forever so she quickly wrote a question and an order down, and showed it to the former Fallen Angel.

_What name did Rias give you? And say you like cooking!_

“My name is Pan Cagayake. And I like cooking.” Pancakes did as she was told in her flat tone. Weiss, Ruby and Blake face palmed by Yang giggled at the pun. The teacher finally sighed in relief,

“Finally, go sit… wherever. I don’t care anymore.” The teacher said. Pancakes tilted her head in confusion, only to see Ruby sitting next to Issei on her right and some other random student to her left. Said random student was shoved off and forced to sit somewhere else, but not without glaring at her. The RWBYs and Issei only sighed while Asia looked at Pancakes with a confused look on her face. It seemed it was going to be one of those days where they wished they laid down and died.

The day was going to get worse as it dragged on.

(Some time later…)

It was lunch now, and everyone was eating their lunch while discussing about various things. There was currently a crowd around Pancakes and Asia as they asked them various questions from where they were from to what their measurements were, which confused them both as they thought it was their height, “Well, they’re certainly popular.” Blake noted as she and her teammates watched from across the room,

“Ah, it’ll die down soon enough.” Yang said, “The first thing I’ve learned about this school is that everyone wants to find out everything about new students. Especially cute girls.”

“Don’t remind me…” Weiss muttered as she ate some of her fried rice. Their first day in Kuoh was filled with people asking questions about them and a few trying to feel them up. It was a miracle how they managed to found out some information before the school day ended,

“Ugh, I can’t watch this.” Ruby said as she stood up and walked over to the crowd, “Alright! Break it up! Break it up! You’re suffocating them!” She called out as she pushed her way through. She quickly grabbed Asia and Pancakes and dragged them out of the room,

“Th-Thank you Ruby-san…” Asia breathed out, clearly not used to so many people paying attention to her,

“But I was doing what you ordered me to do, Ruby-sama.” Pancakes said, looking confused despite her blank expression,

“Well, if you’re ever feeling uncomfortable, you can always talk to…” Asia and Pancakes looked confused as Ruby trialed off while her pupils shrank,

“Mistress, is there something wrong?” Pancakes asked before looking where Ruby was staring at, “Do you wish for me to eliminate her?”

“Hm?” Asia raised one of her eyebrows as Ruby quickly told Pancakes to not hurt the person she was staring at. Asia turned around and saw a ginger haired girl talking a boy who was too love struck to pay attention to her,

“Have you seen this girl? I wish to talk to her.” Penny asked while holding up a photo of Ruby picking her nose during class, “It is important that I speak with her.”

“Hm? Do you know her, Ruby-san?” Asia questioned as Penny tried to get the boy to respond. After receiving no response herself, she turned around and saw that Ruby was gone, “Pan-san, do you know where Ruby went?”

“Mistress ordered me to not reveal her location, as well as make sure the girl over there does not find her or her other servants.” Pancakes informed the former nun, “Before exiting.”

“Exiting?” Asia repeated before noticing a smashed window right next to them, “Wah!? RUBY-SAN!?” Asia exclaimed as she looked out the broken window,

“Excuse me,” A voice from behind her spoke up, causing Asia to jump in surprise. She turned around saw it was the girl Ruby was staring at from before, “But do you know someone called Ruby Rose?” She asked as she showed her the picture, “It’s very important that I speak to her.”

“O-Oh… R-Re-R-Really…?” Asia said nervously, as she sweated profusely, “W-Well y-yo-y-y-you se-s-see…”

“Yes, we do know of a Ruby Rose.” Pancakes answered, causing Penny to smile and Asia to internally freak out, “She is my Master.” And this confused Penny,

“’Master’?” Penny repeated before shaking her head. Right now, that wasn’t important, “It does not matter. Do you know where she is?”

“Mistress has told me that me to not reveal her location. But unfortunately she has not provided me to where she is, and thus I cannot dissuade you from her true location. But she has also commanded me to answer all questions given to me, so I must tell you that you should locate her at the Occult Research Club, the apartment she lives in with me and her servants or her homeroom, which to my knowledge are the locations she most frequents.” Penny’s smile grew bigger as she quickly hugged her,

“Thank you for your help!” Penny said happily before dashing off, “I will see around, friends!” Asia only waved back while shivering while Pancakes just tilted her head,

“My name is Pancakes.” She said in a flat voice,

“Of course.” Asia said in the same tone, “I-Is she going to be mad at us?” Pancakes only stared at her blankly,

“I cannot answer that as I regretfully do not know Mistress well.” Pancakes answered. Asia had the sneaking suspicion Ruby wouldn’t like the new development. Suddenly, they heard three more crashes. Asia looked out the window and saw Weiss, Blake and Yang running out of the school and Penny looking out of one of the broken windows looking just as confused as their classmates.

Asia felt that her stay at the school was going to be rather interesting.

(Some time later…)

“Why is Penny here!?” Yang yelled out in her quietest voice. Currently, she and Ruby were at the back of Kuoh Academy while Weiss and Blake headed towards the city to throw Penny off,

“Maybe telling Beacon we’re dead was a bad idea…” Ruby muttered before shaking her head, “It doesn’t matter. She’s here and she’ll eventually find us. If we just convince her to not tell anyone, we’ll be fine.”

“But she is going to ask questions.” Yang pointed out,

“I know. As long as we don’t say anything about becoming Devils, we’ll be fine!” Ruby answered before adding meekly, “…Hopefully.”

“Well, whatever happens, we cannot let _anyone_ from Remnant know we’re alive take us back.” Yang said. Ruby nodded. Even though Penny was her friend, she was not going back until she understood everything she needed to know about being a King and to find out what hap-

“Friend Ruby! I finally found-”

“OH SHIT!” Yang yelled out as she turned around and punched the person behind her. Yang then realized what she just did and quickly check who it was.

It was Penny Polendina. And she wasn’t moving.

“P-Penny?” Ruby squeaked out. As if to mock her, Penny’s body sparked and caused her uniform to catch on fire just to prove that today was one of the worst days of their life. So they did the only thing they could really do.

They screamed.


	9. A Simple Repair

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Ruby and Yang screamed out before quickly covering each other’s mouths to muffle their screams before they calmed. They stayed silent as they stared at Penny’s body, which was still on fire,

“Oh my God, you killed Penny.” Ruby muttered quietly before wincing in pain, before glaring at Yang, “You bastard.”

“Sh-She just c-c-ca-c-came out of n-n-no-now-no-nowhere and, and…” Yang stuttered out before collapsing to her knees, “N-No. No! I’m sorry! I’m-I’m not a monster! I’m not!” Quickly seeing that Yang was having a nervous breakdown, Ruby quickly went to comfort her,

“It’s okay Yang. It’s going to be okay. It’s not your fault. Just calm down.” Ruby said quickly as she pulled her sister into a hug, Yang crying into her shoulder. They stayed like this until Yang realized something,

“Wait, why is Penny on fire?” There was a record scratch as she realized something.

She never told anyone Penny was a robot. And she forgot Penny was still on fire.

“Oh no…” Ruby groaned as she looked at Penny. Surprisingly, Penny’s uniform was taking a rather long time to burn. Unfortunately, it was causing Penny’s artificial skin to melt off, “Oh no!” Ruby exclaimed as she pushed Yang away and quickly started to look around for anything to put out the flames, “Yang, h-help me find a fire extinguisher! A blanket! Er, anything!”

“Oh right!” Yang said, realizing the smell would probably attract people to their location. But upon realizing there was nothing to put out the flames around them and looking in the school for something would take too long, Ruby (unable to think of anything else at the moment) had an idea,

“Str-Strip her!” Ruby quickly said,

“Wait, what?” Yang asked, extremely confused right now,

“Take off her uniform! We’ll replace it as soon as we can but right now we worry about the fire!” Ruby said frantically,

“O-Okay…” Yang said hesitantly before performing the task, ripping off the burning uniform as fast as possible. While she was doing that, Ruby decided to call Weiss,

“Um… Weiss?” Ruby said nervously, “Er, there’s something you should know…”

“Ruby? I’m in the city with Blake. I’m assuming you know Penny’s here.” Weiss replied,

“Uh… well… yeah… Penny’s definitely here…” Ruby muttered as she watched Yang throw away bit of the now useless uniform, “And… um… l-look, do you mind getting my toolkit from the apartment and meet at the clubroom. Something… awkward came up.”

“’Awkward’ as in…” Weiss started,

“’Awkward’ as in…” Ruby took a deep breath before continuing, “Ya-well, we… kindakilledPenny.”

“...Run that by me again?” Weiss said, wondering what she just heard,

“C-Can you pass the phone to Blake?” Ruby asked awkwardly, fearing that Blake’s reaction would be a bit more subdued than her Bishop/partner,

“Sure…” Weiss answered, Ruby swearing there was a suspicious look on her face. Ruby waited for a few seconds before she heard Blake’s voice over her phone,

“What is it Ruby?” Blake asked,

“We killed Penny by accident.” Ruby answered bluntly. There was a long length of silence that followed after that statement. Suddenly, there was a dial tone, “Hello? Blake? Blake…? Weiss? Anyone?” Ruby said before looking at her phone to see she had been hung up on, “They’re so gonna kill me.” Ruby groaned before pocketing her phone and checking up on Yang and Penny. The first thing that came into Ruby’s mind when Yang finished was how… anatomically correct Penny is, “They really went all out…” Ruby muttered. She guessed that whoever created her went through great lengths to make sure Penny wasn’t discovered, even with all her clothes removed. Ruby then observed the damage Yang dealt to Penny.

Part of Penny’s skull was caved in, her right eye crushed by Yang’s fist, and her expression stuck on horrified surprise. There were sparks coming out of, what she assumed to be, Penny’s computer brain and on occasion she sparked, causing different parts of her body to twitch. There was also some patches of melted skin on her thanks to the fire which revealed her metal skeleton. She was sure she could put bandages to cover it up but repairing Penny’s brain was going to take some work.

And Robotics 101. Which she didn’t have.

“So… uh… are you gonna tell me why Penny kinda looks like an Exterminator?” Yang asked as they both looked at Penny’s naked body,

“Penny’s… the first robot in existence to generate an Aura.” Ruby answered,

“Oh. Cool. That… explains a lot, really.” Yang replied flatly, “…What are we going to do?”

“First. We get her into the clubroom. We can’t let anyone else see her or else things are gonna get a lot worse.” Ruby said. Yang nodded and quickly lifted Penny’s body over her shoulder and as fast as they could, they sprinted to the Occult Research Club, hoping they could save the robot girl.

(ORC Clubroom)

“Put her down gently…” Ruby said as Yang sat Penny down onto the couch, “There we go.”

“So, what’s next?” Yang asked, looking at her little half-sister,

“Now… we… repair her… I guess?” Ruby muttered,

“Ruby, Penny isn’t a weapon.” Yang said before muttering to herself, “At least I hope she isn’t.” She shook her head before continuing, “Point is, we can’t fix Penny. We aren’t robot scientists!”

“I-I’m sure we can. I mean, it shouldn’t be that hard…” Ruby said, trying to smile before her expression fell, “Oh who am I kidding, we’re doomed…”

“Yang! Ruby!” Weiss called out as she and Blake entered the clubroom, Ruby’s toolkit in hand, “I swear, if what Blake told me is tr-“ She then stopped herself when she saw Penny, “…Why is she naked?”

“Why don’t we just save the explanation for the end?” Ruby groaned,

“Just so you guys know, don’t blame Ruby. Blame me…” Yang muttered,

“Thank you.” Weiss said before clearing her throat, coughing a little, making sure her stance showed who was in power, and promptly gave them Hell, “OF ALL THE-“

(One three hour lecture later…)

“Are you done?” Blake asked, looking from a book she borrowed from Kiba about legendary Knight Pieces throughout history,

“Yes.” Weiss said, finally calming down as Ruby and Yang profusely apologized. The Heiress just pinched the bridge of her nose, “What are we gonna do?”

“Okay, first off, if you think about throwing Penny away…” Ruby growled, her eyes going red for a few milliseconds,

“Wh-What? I’m not thinking about that.” Weiss quickly said, stepping back. She was a little confused about what she just saw but quickly wrote it off, “B-But, we can’t repair Penny and I doubt the others know anything about robotics.”

“Maybe there are instructions.” Yang suggested,

“Oh, that’s preposterous!” Weiss exclaimed, scoffing at the idea, “Who in their right mind would put freaking instructions-“

“That’s it!” Ruby suddenly called out, causing her peerage to jump a little, “We gotta find the instructions!”

“…You’re joking, right?” Weiss deadpanned,

“Nope!” The Low-Class King replied happily, “I’m guessing in case Penny gets damaged and her engineers or something can’t get to her, she can repair herself. All we have to do is gain access to Penny’s brain and find the instructions!”

 “But we don’t have a computer and I’m exactly seeing any access points.” Yang pointed as she looked all over Penny’s body, only to stop when she looked in between Penny’s legs, “…Never mind. Found it.”

“Huh?” Blake looked confused and put down her book to see the access point Yang found,

“Why the Hell is there a USB port in Penny’s crotch!?”  Yang exclaimed,

“It’s called the perineum. The USB port is in Penny’s perineum.” Blake corrected, “But you are right. Wouldn’t it be better to have it at the base of her neck? Near her brain?”

“Just be glad it isn’t a dongle switch thingys or something…” Yang mumbled to herself,

“I-It really doesn’t matter…” Ruby muttered, blushing, “Blake, do you mind um, ‘borrowing’ a computer with its charger off someone? No offense, but you’re much better at cat burglary than any of us.”

“None taken.” Blake said with a sigh as she got up and left,

“Weiss, do you mind telling Pancakes and the others that we’re in the clubroom.” Ruby ordered. Weiss nodded and started making her way to the door before Ruby quickly added, “Oh, and tell Issei if he even steps into the building, I’ll destroy all his porn! King’s orders!”

“Already ahead of you!” Weiss called back,

“Yang, you guard the door in case Issei ignores what I just said.” Ruby told her big sis as she searched the clubroom for some bandages,

“I won’t even let him into the building.” Yang replied with a salute before heading out. Once Ruby found the bandages, she walked over to Penny. She slowly ran her fingers through Penny’s hair as she stared at Penny’s frozen, shocked face,

“I promise, I will fix you.” Ruby whispered to her friend before wrapping the bandages delicately over Penny’s burn wounds, “You’re my friend Penny, human or not. And like Hell I’m letting you die because of an accident.”

If Ruby wasn’t so focused on her task, she would’ve seen Penny’s lips twitch upwards.

(Some time later…)

The bell rang, indicating that it was now the end of the school day. Rias stretched out her arms and sighed, ‘Tonight is the night.’ Rias reminded herself. She was considering whenever or not to drag Ruby along with her when she remembered Weiss telling her that the Red Reaper was in the clubroom right now, not wanting to be disturbed. She inquired Weiss about why but wasn’t given a straight answer, telling her to check on it herself. She decided to cancel club activities for the night and see what this ‘Project’ Ruby was working on, “Akeno, tell everyone not to come to clubroom today. I need to speak with Ruby in private.” She said as she stood up,

“Ara, ara, is it about a ‘certain event’ coming up soon?” Akeno asked, “Or about Pancakes-chan?” She snickered a little at the name,

“It depends.” Rias replied with her own chuckle before turning serious, “I just need to clear things up with her.”

“Like how-“

“Look.” Rias interrupted her Queen, “I already know one day they’re going to know what I’ve done, or in this case what I didn’t do, and I am prepared to face the consequences. Do you think I like what I’ve done? At this point, they can do whatever they want to me when the time comes. They deserve it, I deserve it. I just don’t want any of you to get in the crossfire. While it is your role to protect me, my peerage’s happiness is more important than mine. Even if it means marrying him, I will protect my property with everything I have. Got it?”

“…As you wish Buchou.” Akeno said with a bow before heading off. Rias sighed again before heading over to the clubroom. She noted as she approached the clubroom that there was one light coming from the window. She suspected whatever this project Ruby was working on, it was important and was probably going to spend the night in the clubroom. She passed by Yang, who was looking around diligently for a certain Pawn and made her way to the clubroom door,

“Ruby, we need to talk.” Rias said as she knocked on the door,

“Ju-Just a minute!” Ruby called out from behind the door. There was some clangs of metal and junk before Ruby opened the door, revealing herself to be covered in black oil, “U-Um… what’s up, Prez?” Ruby greeted as she tried to lean on the door, only to miss and end up on the ground. She quickly got up and acted like nothing happened, “Whadda ya doing here?”

“Well, I wanted to talk to you and check up on you and your project.” Rias replied as she tried to see what Ruby was working on, only for the girl herself to block her vision, “What are you doing, by the way?”

“Running maintenance on Crescent Rose.” Ruby lied,

“Ruby, I can see your scythe on you.” Rias deadpanned. Ruby looked and saw that Rias was right; she had Crescent Rose with her all day, “And I can smell something burning.”

“Burning? OH CRAP!” Ruby exclaimed before shutting the door in Rias’ face. Rias raised one of her eyebrows and just decided to let herself in. There were a lot of things happening all at once. Weiss extinguishing a fire with some Ice Dust, Blake reading several textbooks on robotics that she somehow managed to find and Ruby on a laptop with a cord coming out of it and connected to a girl she didn’t recognize at all’s crotch, who was placed face up on the table.

But there was only one thing that stuck out to Rias at that moment.

“Why is she naked?” Rias asked as she pointed at Penny before noticing the bandages and exposed robot parts, “Okay, what’s going on?”

“It’s not what it looks like! SHE’S NOT A ROBOT! IT’S JUST A VERY CONVINCING COSTUME!” Ruby shouted out instinctively before realizing it was just Rias looking rather confused, “Um, I mean… please leave.” Rias did not look amused,

“What the Hell is going on here?” Rias asked, hands on her hips and with a tone that said she wanted answers or else. Ruby sighed and quickly summarized everything that led up to this moment. Rias could only sigh but decided to help even though she didn’t know a thing about robotics, “Okay, what’s the problem then?”

“Well, we’re guessing that Penny has instructions to how to repair her in her brain so we’re trying to gain access to it. Problem is, we’re not sure if it’s even there considering Yang destroyed part of Penny’s brain and I need a password to even gain basic level access.” Ruby explained, “Right now, from what I can tell, Penny’s brain has a dedicated interface with highly developed security protocols. The information I’m trying to access is stored on somewhere else inside Penny’s hardware and its various systems. That system has its own distinct layer of security. From what I can tell, those systems verify their identities by trading randomly generated two thousand fifty six bit encryption keys. I'm trying to spoof one of those keys right now and from there I can…”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about, are you?” Rias said flat out,

“Yep!” Ruby cried out, tears running down her face, “I’m a 15 year old Huntress Devil! Not some hacking computer goddess-ow! I don’t even know what this HTML crap is! Let alone how to fix an android with a soul!”

“An android with a soul…” Rias muttered before getting lost in her own thoughts as Ruby continued to rant,

“I’m such a horrible person! I let my friend die and I can’t do anything about it!” Ruby cried out, “I’ll never hear her say ‘Salutations’ ever agai-“ Ruby then suddenly stopped crying as the gears in her head started turning as Weiss and Blake slowly came to the same conclusion,

“It can’t be that easy.” Weiss whispered out,

“Only one way to find out.” Ruby muttered as she went back to the computer, “Hope this works…”

**_paSsWorD:_ ** _Salutations_

_vErifYing…_

_PoWER at 2%_

_SAluTaTions… fRiEND ruby._

“She’s alive…” Ruby whispered to herself as she put on a headset Blake ‘borrowed’, “Sh-She’s alive!”

“Barely.” Blake said, having taken a glance at the laptop and saw how much power Penny had left, before turning to Weiss, “Come on, make sure she doesn’t shut down!”

“Got it!” Weiss responded before using her magic to give energy to Penny,

“Penny, can you hear me!?” Ruby said excitedly.

_i aM Glad YoU aRe oK I waS WoRRied_

“You should be more worried about yourself.” Ruby replied, “Can you run a diagnostic or something like that?”

_I haVe dONe tHaT sINCe YaNG hAs dAmAGEd Me I FORgivE hER_

_BuT You mAY NOT like ThE conCLUsion_

“What is it? You can’t use that multi-sword puppet thing? Come on, Penny, tell me something!” Ruby said desperately, only for her world to shatter at Penny’s next few words.

_I AM IRREPARABLE_

“…Wh-What?” Ruby whispered out, “What do you mean by that?”

_WhiLe my bODy Can bE repaIREd The mateRials neEdEd arE raRE ANd neCESSary foR my bOdy TO geNErate an Aura bUt the maIn PROBlem is My BraiN_

_DAmAGE To mY bRaIN CAnNot BE RePAIRed aND thUS MuST bE RepLACed_

_Due tO the DamAGE I wILL Be ShUTTING DoWn aNd mY MeMORieS WiLL be dEStroyed in A feW minutes_

_I Do NOT have A baCK up iN mY BOdy_

_i don’t wanna die ruby_

“No. No no no no! Don’t shut down!” Ruby shouted out as she desperately searched through Penny’s files to try and find something, anything to save the robot, “I’m not going to let you die.”

_but i am happy knowing you are safe ruby_

_good bye_

Ruby’s mind was running at a million miles per second as she tried to figure out how save her, before it started to settle in her mind that she couldn’t. She didn’t have the skill nor the time to fix Penny. She was going to fail again. She was going to fail to save her friends again and it was all her-

“This android has a soul…” Rias muttered, interrupting Ruby’s thoughts, “That means she can potentially become a Devil…”

“Huh? What!?” Weiss exclaimed, “Um, how do you know that?”

“I don’t. It’s just me thinking out loud.” Rias replied as she shook her head, “It’s like the situation with Ruby’s King status all over again. We don’t know the repercussions or if it’ll even work. But Evil Pieces can practically reincarnate anything with a soul so there’s a fair chance. But again, I have remind Ruby that she’s gone isn’t she?” Rias sighed. She was really tired right now,

“You got her at ‘potentially’.” Blake said before Ruby burst through the door,

“Out of the way!” Ruby yelled out as she quickly searched for an appropriate Piece, shoving Rias out of the way, “Sorry! Um, Pawn? No. Knight? No. Queen? Uh…”

“Ruby, 60 seconds!” Weiss called out, checking the laptop,

“Aw crap aw crap aw crap!” Ruby said as she picked a random Evil Piece and placed it on Penny’s chest, “U-Uh… what do I do now?”

“Just say what comes to your mind and channel some of your throughout your body. It will work.” Rias said as she stood up,

“30 seconds!” Weiss announced,

“Please work please work please work.” Ruby said to herself as she started to glow red, “My name is Ruby Rose and I am a Devil. I, as King, command you, Penny Polendina, to become my servant. Forgive me for my sins and forgive me for my inaction. Rise and BECOME MY…” Suddenly, Ruby’s energy fizzled out as she realized she didn’t take a good look at what Piece she chose. She looked down and saw what it was.

It was a Bishop Piece.

“5 seconds!” Weiss yelled out, snapping Ruby out of her trance,

“Right! Blah blah blah, BISHOP!” Ruby exclaimed before slamming her hands onto the ground. Suddenly, a symbol appeared on the ground with Ruby’s symbol within it appeared underneath Penny as the Bishop Piece started to glow. The red light was blinding and there was sparks of Ruby’s energy and wind going everywhere, causing everyone in the room to cover their eyes and face as the Bishop Piece sank into the android’s chest. There was then silence as everything settled down. The room was dark thanks to the ritual causing the lights to blow out. No one dared to move or speak as they waited for something, anything to happen.

Then suddenly, two eyes opened.

“What the-“ Penny was extremely confused now, but didn’t have a chance to figure out what had just transpired as was tackled by Ruby in a hug, “Ru-Ruby?”

“I’m *sniff* so *sniff* glad *sniff* YOU’RE SAFE!” Ruby cried out, crying into Penny’s chest before realizing Penny was still naked. And they had no clothes ready for her.

And now that she noticed, Penny’s boobs were really soft…

‘I’ve been hanging out with Issei too much.’ Ruby thought before scrambling off of Penny. She then noticed that Penny was completely repaired, like nothing ever happened to her. She guessed the Evil Piece repaired her for them, though she didn’t know how or why, “Penny! It’s so good to see you again! Though, it would’ve been nicer if it was under better circumstances.”

“Friend Ruby! Thank you.” Penny said, “How did you repair me so fast? I’m aware your Semblance allows you to enhance your speed but this is unprecedented.” She then tried to move her limbs, but discovered she couldn’t, “Though, it seems I cannot move on my own.”

“Well, Ruby, you and your peerage continue to surprise me.” Rias said, “But, to make sure she’s fine, you need to use your Devil energy to heal her tonight.”

“But I don’t know how to-“ Ruby then paused as she remembered what Rias did several weeks ago and blushed, “O-Oh…”

“Ruby, who is she? And what does she mean by this ‘Devil energy’ you have?” Penny asked,

“Oh, right…” Ruby said nervously, “I-I-I’ll tell you at the apartment.”

“Ri-Right.” Weiss said, also sporting a blush, “I’ll go get Yang to carry Penny there.”

“And I’ll go get some clothes for her.” Blake said, sporting a blush as well,

“Thank you.” Ruby said with a sigh before turning to Rias, “So, you wanted to talk to me, right?”

“Huh? Oh! Right.” Rias said, almost forgetting due to everything happening, “We’ll talk once we’re alone. It won’t take all night.” ‘Hopefully.’

“O-Okay…” Ruby said with a nod. Once everyone went to do their tasks, Ruby and Rias sat down from across each other,

“First off, you’re cleaning the clubroom.” Rias told the Low-Class King, “You made quite a mess.”

“I was expecting that.” Ruby muttered, “So… what made you think enrolling Pancakes into Kuoh was a good idea?”

“Well, first, she heavily relies on you, Ruby. To her, you are her entire world.” Rias explained, “I was scared that if you weren’t around her, she’s probably starve to death or something.”

“Yeah… it did take me a while to make her eat daily.” Ruby admitted before groaning and covering her face, “Ugh… what did I do in the Church? I wanna know but at the same time I don’t!”

“I do admit, what you’ve done… I can’t say I like it. But there’s nothing we can do.” Rias said, “The best we can do is train Pancakes and possibly insert a new personality. That’s also another reason why I enrolled her here. I hoped interacting with other people other than your teammate will allow her to develop her own personality and eventually become an individual.”

“…Okay. I totally get that.” Ruby replied, “I don’t like it but I accept it. Just tell me before you do anything that involves me and my team.”

“Thanks.” Rias said, sighing in relief, ‘Plus, I had Pan Cagayake in my head as soon as I heard it.’ Rias mentally added,

“Anyway, anything else, Prez?” Ruby asked, “I need to talk to Penny about… you know? Her becoming a Devil? Man, I wonder how the Hell that managed to work…”

“I’ll definitely need to do some research on that, along with your power and Yang’s Sacred Gear.” Rias muttered. Ruby frowned at that,

“Please… don’t tell me.” Ruby requested, “I wanna break people again. Whatever I did… stays where it needs to be.”

“Are you sure? If we know more about it, you’ll have more control over it. You don’t have to necessarily use it, but it’s better to understand everything that’s changed about you, so that you’re aware what limits you have and don’t.” Rias explained,

“I know but… it isn’t something I _want_ to understand. What if I like it? What if I lose myself again to it?” Ruby said as she began to hold herself, “I don’t wanna become a monster…”

“Ruby, you are not a monster!” Rias called out, “Whatever you did, we’ll make sure it won’t happen again! You are my apprentice, and I will not let you get corrupted by your power!”

“Rias…” Ruby whispered before swallowing some saliva, “…Okay. I’m trusting you on this Rias-sensei.”

“And I’m trusting you will help me too.” Rias replied before standing up, “Well, I guess that’s it.”

“Thanks.” Ruby said as she stood up as well, “I need to go home.” She was about to leave, only for Rias to grab her hand, “Um… Prez?”

“…Nothing.” Rias said. She was going to tell her but decided maybe it was enough drama for tonight, “Good night, Ruby Rose.”

“Good night to you too, Rias Gremory.” Ruby said back, “What was that about?” Ruby thought out loud before dashing off to the apartment. Rias sat back down and sighed again. She leaned her head back and stared up at the ceiling,

“Ruby Rose…” Rias muttered to herself as she held her hand up in front of her face, “…You truly are a Devil.”

(Some time later…)

“Ugh… where am I?” Yang groaned as she got up and looked around. She was in a dark empty space and she was sure there was no exit. The last thing she remembered after putting Penny on the sofa was going to sleep,

“ _You…_ ” A voice from behind her said. Yang jumped and quickly turned around, only to be met with a sight. It was a dragon, its scales a beautiful golden colour and eyes the most captivating shade of purple. And it was big. As in, about the size of planet Earth, “ _You…_ ”

“What the-Who are you!?” Yang called out as she activated her gauntlets, only to realize they weren’t on her,

“ _I am…_ ” The dragon said menacingly, “ _...hungry._ ”

“Hi Hungry! I’m Yang!” Yang said before face palming, “Why are you making dad jokes in front of a dragon!?” Yang quickly scolded herself before looking,

“ _You… are not funny…_ ” The dragon said, “ _Or worthy…_ ”

“’Worthy’? Oh, I am plenty worthy!” Yang exclaimed, “But uh… worthy of what?”

“ _To **be me**_.” And that’s when Yang woke up.


	10. A Simple Break

Ruby arrived at the apartment building around 7pm. She had decided to wander around and enjoy the setting sun for a while, wanting to relax after such a crazy day. Everything seemed to move too fast for her, with little to no reprieve in between. All she’s been doing was go to school, train, do some contracts and sleep for the past few weeks. She sighed in relief since it was Sunday tomorrow, meaning school was closed for the day, before pausing and groaning. She has training with Rias in the afternoon that day. She groaned again as her phone rang, “Hello?” Ruby said as she climbed up the stairs.

“Oh, Ruby. Something came up so I’m cancelling your training tomorrow afternoon.” Rias told her fellow King.

“What? Really?” Ruby asked, surprised, “Um, thanks. What are you doing by the way?”

“It doesn’t concern you, Ruby. At least not yet. Anyway, I think you needed a break. You seem to be more… irritated lately.” Rias said. Ruby quickly reviewed her memories, and realized that she was right.

“Oh, sorry…” Ruby apologized, “It’s just… ever since the Asia Rescue Mission I haven’t been feeling myself lately. Probably from all the stress, I guess.”

“I understand. Just stay home and heal your friend. Remember, it won’t work unless you have skin-to-skin contact.” And with that, Rias hung up. Ruby blushed again before unlocking the door and entering the apartment, “Guys! I’m home!”

“Friend Ruby! You’ve returned!” Penny called out cheerfully from the couch, still naked and couldn’t move, but at least Weiss had gave her a blanket to cover herself.

“Hi Penny.” Ruby greeted as she sat down on the armrest of the couch, “So… you probably have a lot of questions…”

“Yes.” Penny answered softly, “Ruby. When they told me you and your teammates died or that you may have abandoned your mission… I didn’t know what I wanted to do first. Find you, kill your killer, just something to let my mind rest. Now, I’m just confused.” She looked at Ruby straight in her silver eyes, “Tell me… who are you?” Ruby swallowed some saliva and took a deep breath.

“The thing is... I really did die.” Ruby said, revealing her wings, “My name is Ruby Rose. And I am a Devil. And you, Penny, are my servant. My Bishop. Welcome to the peerage.” From there, Ruby proceeded to explain everything she felt was necessary for Penny to function as a Devil, “…And that’s pretty much it really. Penny, promise me you won’t tell anyone. Please don’t bring us back to Remnant. We’re not ready and, and…”

“I promise Ruby.” Penny interrupted her King, “Besides, I cannot return to Remnant as well.”

“Oh. Right, you need to train too with Weiss and Akeno.” Ruby muttered.

“That, I still cannot move my body.” Penny pointed out, causing Ruby to blush.

“R-Right.” Ruby said, before standing up and reluctantly started stripping off her uniform.

“Ruby?” Penny said as she watched her friend strip in front of her, “Has your reincarnation as a Devil made you more promiscuous?”

“P-Pl-Please b-b-b-be qu-q-qui-q-quiet.” Ruby stuttered out as she unhooked her bra, “I-I-I-I n-n-ne-need t-t-to d-do th-t-t-this s-s-so y-y-you can he-he-h-he-heal.”

“And what does this have to do with your nudity?” Penny questioned, now more than a little confused. Ruby didn’t answer. Instead, she climbed, awkwardly, under the blanket with Penny, “Ruby?”

“J-Just relax.” Ruby said, despite the fact her whole body was tense as she let her Devil energy flow through both her body and Penny’s. Penny sighed as she felt a calming energy flow through her circuits, “L-Let’s just get some sleep. I’m really tired.”

“Affirmative. Goodnight, Friend Ruby.” Penny said before closing her eyes. Ruby decided to use Penny’s breast as pillows and tried to fall asleep. At around midnight, she did, but not before shaking off the feeling she was forgetting something.

(The Next Day!)

Yang groaned as she slowly opened her eyes, “’Not worthy enough to be me’, huh?” Yang muttered to herself before summoning her Sacred Gear, “I bet you have something to do with that.”

“Yang, who are you talking to?” Weiss asked as she got off her bed and did her morning stretches.

“…Myself I guess.” Yang answered with a sigh, putting Bloodlust away, “I don’t know.”

“Bad dream?” Blake asked as she straightened her back like a cat before putting away the whiskers on her face.

“It was a dream, I just don’t really know if it was bad or good.” Yang explained, “It… I met this really big dragon. She told me she was hungry and that I’m not worthy to be her or something.”

“Well, that’s what you get for eating leftover kujira before bed.” Weiss said as she changed out of pajamas, “…What is kujira anyway?”

“It’s seafood?” Blake spoke up, though she wasn’t sure herself, “It’s really good though. We should buy some tonight for dinner.”

“Speaking of which, we need to go shopping.” Weiss reminded everyone in the room, “We’re running out of food, and we need to buy clothes and some bedding for Pancakes and Penny.”

“Man, this place is getting filled up.” Yang said as she walked out the room, “Anyway, shouldn’t Penny have her own…” Yang trailed off as they saw Ruby and Penny sleeping peacefully, naked, as the blanket was thrown off in the middle of the night, giving them a free view of _everything_ _._

“No Mr. Cookie, don’t give me your milk…” Ruby mumbled in her sleep before snorting herself awake, “Huh? What the-?”

“Ruby, please put on some clothes.” Yang told her King, blushing at the sight. Ruby wondered why her teammates weren’t looking at her for a second before remembering she was nude and promptly blushed as red as her cloak. She used her Semblance to get some clothes as soon as possible, appearing in living room in just a dark red t-shirt and a black pair of jeans. She then put the blanket over Penny and woke her up.

“Penny, wake up.” Ruby said softly. Penny’s eyes fluttered open as she smiled at Team RWBY.

“Salutations everyone!” Penny greeted.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Yang asked. Penny tried to move her limbs. She sat up, letting the part of the blanket covering her chest fall.

“I’ve regained full movement of my arms and hands. However, I may need help walking.” Penny reported, “It feels like my servos in my legs are rusted.”

“So, you still need healing.” Ruby said with a sigh, “Looks like I know what I’m doing today.”

“Hey… does anyone feel like they’re forgetting something?” Blake asked as she looked at everyone in front of her. There was something wrong with this picture but she wasn’t quite sure what it was.

“Yeah… it’s been nagging me all night.” Ruby admitted, “But what is it…?” It took her a couple of seconds before she realized what, or rather _who_ she forgot, “Wait a minute, where’s Pancakes!?”

“Oh…” Yang said with a wince, remembering what she did, “Um… yeah… about that…”

(Kuoh Academy)

“I wonder where Mistress is…” Pancakes muttered to herself, still standing next the broken window, not even sleeping a wink. She had noticeable bags under her eyes, “Yang-sama told me the stay here yesterday, but did not specify how long. Maybe due to running away from that strange girl. Maybe I should return to the apartment.” She said but shook her head, “No, despite not being directly from her, I will not disobey a command from Ruby-sama. She is my King I shall wait here until she returns to the very end.” And with that, Pancakes valiantly planted her feet on the ground and stood there, waiting for her King to return. Then her stomach growled in defiance, demanding her to move and find food.

She promptly punched her disobedient stomach and continued standing near the broken window.

(RWBY Apartment)

“Yang!” Ruby exclaimed.

“Sorry! I-I’ll go get her!” Yang quickly apologized before dashing out of the apartment.

“Ruby, don’t you have training with Rias today?” Blake asked.

“It got cancelled. So I’m gonna heal Penny and relax in the apartment instead.” Ruby said.

“Well, you have been under a lot of stress lately…” Weiss muttered, “Don’t worry. We’ll leave you two alone. Blake and I have to do some shopping anyway for clothes for Pancakes and Penny. By the way…” Weiss then turned to Penny, “Do you have a place where you can stay?”

“Actually, I was given this apartment when I was given my mission, as Team RWBY was listed MIA. I don’t have anywhere else to go. My equipment and spare clothing should be arriving soon.” Penny explained, “Friend Ruby, do you mind?”

“I don’t.” Ruby replied happily before turning to Weiss and Blake, “I’ll see you guys later then?”

“Yep.” Blake said as she put on her shoes, “Bye!”

“Please don’t break anything while we’re gone.” Weiss said, causing Ruby to pout.

“Aw, don’t you trust me?” Ruby grumbled.

“No, I do. It’s just in case something happens. Go-“ Weiss paused before correcting herself, “He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Spoken-About-Because-It-Will-Cause-Pain knows that at least something will happen.”

“Who are you talking about?” Penny asked.

“God.” Ruby answered out of reflex, “D’oh!” Ruby swore as they suffered a headache, “Sorry…”

“We really need to stop saying that…” Blake muttered as she and Weiss left. Ruby sighed and looked at Penny.

“So… what do you want to eat?” Ruby asked, feeling hungry, “Wait, can you eat?”

“Yes. While I can theoretically function without food, my creator thought it would be beneficial if I could eat and drink like a normal human in order to keep up appearances. Any food I ‘eat’ gets processed and turned into fuel, and all liquids I consume become coolant, which needs to be regularly replaced and topped up at least three times a day. Anything will do.”

“Okay.” Ruby said before searching the fridge. She got ticked off that Yang ate all the kujira, but saw that there was leftover sushi and grabbed that, “Does sushi sound good?”

“What’s sushi?” Penny asked as Ruby put the sushi on a plate.

“It’s rice, raw fish and seaweed I think. Yang doesn’t like it, but it’s supposed to be healthy and I like it.” Ruby said as she gave Penny her plate of sushi, “Come on. Have a bite.” Penny nodded, picked one up and ate it.

“Wow, this is really good.” Penny commented on before frowning.

“Hm? What is it?” Ruby asked with her mouth full.

“…Nothing.” Penny muttered before she continued eating. Ruby raised an eyebrow before she continued eating. After that a glass of milk for both her and Penny, Ruby stripped down and hugged Penny as they watched TV. She was getting used to it, but it was still awkward and embarrassing for Ruby. Every hour or so, they tested whether or not Penny could walk by herself. She was making progress, and could probably attend Kuoh by tomorrow. Ruby soon started to get a little bored, however.

“I wonder what the others are doing right now…” Ruby muttered before shaking her head. Thinking about it, she really didn’t know anyone in the apartment building. She wanted to make friends outside of her peerage and the ORC so she decided she may as well see who they were living next to. She’d feel a bit guilty if she didn’t, “Hey, Penny. I’m going out for a few minutes. You think you can care for yourself while I’m out? I’m just exploring the apartment building.”

“It’s okay. I’ll be fine.” Penny said before going back to watching TV. Ruby nodded, got dressed and left the apartment. She looked around and decided to go to the apartment across the hall from hers. She knocked on the door, only to receive an irritated groan in response.

“Hello? Anyone there?” Ruby called out, “Are you okay?” She stood back as she heard footsteps coming to the door. There were sounds of the person on the other side unlocking their door before opening it up.

“Ugh! I already paid my fucking rent last week so don’t-“ A woman with red eyes and black hair wearing a black tank top and red short shorts growled before clamming up, realizing who it was standing at her door.

“Hi! My name is Ruby Rose! I live across the hall!” Ruby greeted happily.

Raven slammed the door in her face.

“Hey! Rude!” Ruby called out.

“Go away.” Raven said from behind the door.

“I just wanted to talk to you!” Ruby said, “Come on, I just wanted to be a nice neighbor!”

“Well, I’m not feeling nice today so be a good little girl and get the Hell off my property!” Raven growled, “God, I always wanted to say that.” Ruby winced at that.

“Technically it isn’t yours!” Ruby pointed out, “You’re renting it, meaning it’s the landlord’s.”

“J-Just leave already! I will call the cops on you!” Raven threatened.

“What the-I just wanted to meet you!” Ruby shouted out, “What is wrong with being a good neighbor!? J-Just let me in and we can talk.”

“…You’re not gonna leave no matter what I say, aren’t you?” Raven groaned.

“Yep.” Ruby said happily. Raven sighed before opening the door.

“Just go in.” Raven said. Ruby smiled before entering the apartment. She noted how barebones the apartment was, and how it had a somewhat depressing atmosphere in it. She also noted the numerous sake bottles.

“Want some tea?” Raven asked. Before Ruby could respond, Raven threw her a bottle of green tea.

“Thanks.” Ruby said quietly as Ruby sat down on a loveseat while Raven took a chair. It was quiet after that as they both occasionally took a sip of tea.

“…So. What’s your name?” Ruby asked.

“Raven.” Raven answered plainly with a bored expression on her face. Internally, she was panicking, hoping that Taiyang had removed all traces of her existence from the household in Patch, or at least made sure Ruby never saw her face. Speaking of which, Ruby noted how eerily similar Raven’s face looked to someone she knew, but ultimately ignored it and kept drinking tea.

“Um, do you have any hobbies?” Ruby asked, the atmosphere becoming more and more awkward by the second.

“Nope.” Raven said flat out, “…Are you going to leave now?”

“Yes.” Ruby groaned before getting up and exiting the apartment, “Um, yeah. I’ll… see you around… I guess.”

“Whatever.” Raven said. Ruby sighed before shutting the door.

“Man, that sucked.” Ruby said under her breath. She decided to stop and return to the apartment.

“How was greeting the neighbors?” Penny asked as Ruby shut the door behind her.

“Interesting.” Ruby replied as she started stripping down, just as Yang entered the apartment with Pancakes. Ruby sighed and went under the blanket with Penny and watched more TV, ordering Pancakes to cook dinner as Weiss and Blake returned as well.

(A few days later…)

“I’m so glad I can walk again!” Penny said cheerfully, wearing her new school uniform. Ruby couldn’t help but smile. She, the rest of Team RWBY, Penny and Pancakes were walking to school and after so long, it felt peaceful, “Thank you again Friend Ruby!”

“Like I said last time, you’re welcome Penny.” Ruby replied before turning to Pancakes, “And um, sorry for leaving you at school all night. Again.”

“Do not apologize Mistress. I am sure you have your reasons.” Pancakes said, “I am just happy I have not displeased you in any way.”

“Pancakes, if you have a problem don’t be afraid to act as you see fit.” Ruby explained, “I want you to be your own person.”

“But I live only to serve Mistress. I do not have a life outside of Mistress’ command.” Pancakes explained.

“Then make yourself one and be who you wanna be.” Ruby said, before spotting Issei and Asia ahead, “Hey, I’ll see ya in class guys.” Ruby told her peerage, “Hey! Issei! Asia! Wait up!”

“Ruby?” Issei asked as Ruby caught up to them, “Where were you yesterday?” From there, Issei, Ruby and Asia talked about trivial things. Ruby sighed happily. It seemed things were starting to become normal again, or at least as normal as things could be. She felt ready to train again and prepare for anything that comes at her.

“Issei-san, we’re doing softball in P.E. today, right?” Asia asked,

“Yep! It’s gonna be awesome!” Issei replied as he pumped his fist, ‘Plus, there is so gonna be some bouncing boobies there too.’ He thought in his mind.

“It’s my first time, so I’m excited!” Asia said, “Ruby-san, do you have softball from where you come from?”

“Nah, I don’t think so. But then again I’ve never been into sports.” Ruby answered. She noticed a smirk on the Harem King’s face, “What are you thinking about, Issei?”

“O-Oh, n-n-n-nothing!” Issei lied, deciding not to mention how great it is to have two cute girls hang out with him on a regular basis, “By the way, were there any problems at school? Getting along with the other girls?”

“Yep, everyone is very nice to me!” Asia said happily, “I’ve made lots of friends as well. I was invited to go shopping with them next time.”

_“Issei-san, Ruby-san, I’ve always had this dream…” Asia sobbed out, “To be able to go out with my friends together, shopping normally… chatting normally… to be with friends… to able to…” Asia was interrupted by Ruby & Issei hugging her. She felt the tears leaking onto her shoulder as she was hugged by the two Devils._

_“That’s a promise of a lifetime!” Ruby & Issei declared, “We promise, from this day forth, you’ll never be alone!”_

“Good for you, Asia.” Issei chuckled out as he patted Asia’s head.

“Hehehe… I hope you enjoy it.” Ruby said with a grin, both causing Asia to giggle.

“Hey, by the way, I’ve been seeing you with Asia lately when we're walking to school.” Ruby said, “Why is that?”

“Oh! Right! I forgot to tell you.” Issei said, “Asia is…“

“Asia-chan! Ruby-chan! Morning!” Issei and Ruby couldn’t help but groan internally as they saw Matsuda and Motohama approach them.

“Good morning Matsuda-san, Motohama-san.” Asia greeted.

“Hey, Motohama’s the bald guy right?” Ruby whispered to Issei. Issei was going to answer that, only to get punched in the stomach by Matsuda.

“MORNING!” Matsuda shouted out.

“Dude, what the Hell!?” Ruby exclaimed, before kicking Matsuda in the nuts.

“AH!” Matsuda cried out in pain as he collapsed on the ground before sighing happily, “That was the closest thing to a girl touching my pe-“ Issei didn’t let him finish that sentence as he kicked him in the stomach.

“Fuck you, dude!” Issei growled, only to feel Motohama’s arm around his shoulder.

“Issei-kun, I’ve heard.” Motohama said.

“About what?” Issei asked, ticked off.

“You’ve been going to school with Asia-chan and Ruby-chan almost every single day.” Matsuda said over his right shoulder, looking perfectly fine.

“Wow, he recovers quickly.” Ruby noted.

“What about it?” Issei deadpanned.

“I wonder why it is that you guys always arrive to school from the same direction?” Motohama said in a threatening tone over his left shoulder. Their mean and threatening auras quickly vanished as Issei pushed their faces away.

“Look… Matsuda, Motohama.” Issei said with a sigh, “I’ve been separated from you two because of an unsurpassable wall. Nothing can be done.” He then smirked and looked at them with a look that said ‘I win’, “After all… Asia and I… _are living under the same roof_!” Matsuda and Motohama gasped dramatically, as if the news spelled the end of the world, while Ruby’s eyes widened, “Isn’t that right, Asia?”

“Yes, I’m staying at Issei-san’s house.” Asia replied. Matsuda and Motohama’s jaws just dropped at the confirmation.

“Wait, you’re living with Issei?” Ruby asked, “As in this is real?”

“Yep. His parents are very nice!” Asia answered with a smile. Ruby stared blankly at her as ‘MY USELESS SON HAS A CHANCE OF CONTINUING THE HYOUDOU LEGACY!’ and the memory Issei’s parents crying on each other’s shoulders played in her mind.

“’Kay.” Ruby squeaked out.

“Then, Asia-chan wakes him up in the morning too!?” Matsuda exclaimed in panic.

“Oh, you woke me up today as well, didn’t you?” Issei chuckled out, looking at Asia.

“That’s because Issei-san’s a sleepyhead, right?” Asia giggled out, causing Matsuda to collapse into a state of depression.

“D-Do you serve him rice too…?” Motohama asked hesitantly.

“Well, mum did also praise Asia for being a thoughtful person.” Issei muttered, causing Asia to blush.

“That’s so embarrassing…” Asia said cutely, also causing Motohama to collapse into a state of depression.

“Ruby-chan, why are you hanging out with Issei all the time?” Matsuda begged.

“Because he’s my friend, and I’m not a jerk.” Ruby replied, “…You’re Motohama, the guy who guesses accurately penis size, right?” This caused both of them to go into a deeper depression, “Huh? Did I say something wrong?”

“THE TWO GREAT LADIES OF KUOH!” Motohama started shouting out, causing the Devils to wince at his voice, “THE GEMS OF THE ACADEMY, KONEKO-CHAN, AND EVEN ASIA-CHAN! YOU’RE LOADED WITH CUTE GIRLS AREN’T YOU!? I’M GONNA BREAK FROM ALL THIS WANTON CHAOS!” He then leaned in to Issei a quietly said, “Issei. As compensation, introduce me to at least one person. And what I mean by one person, I mean all of them. Please. I beg of you.”

“…Can I kick their ass?” Ruby asked, disgusted by the perverts.

“Later.” Issei said as he started thinking as he searched his phone, ‘They won’t get off my back no matter what, and they aren’t gonna believe me if I say the only girls I talk to are the ones in the ORC. I need a girl…’

And suddenly, Issei was struck with a flash of genius as he saw a number.

‘They did say they wanted a _person_ …’ Issei thought with a devious smile on his face as he called the number, “Hold on a sec.”

“Issei, what are you doing?” Ruby whispered out. Issei only smirked in response as the person he called picked up.

“Ah, Mil-tan? Do you have a minute?” Issei said, causing Ruby to cover her mouth to stop herself from laughing as she realized what Issei was doing.

“Mil-tan!?” Ruby gasped in fake surprise, “The nudist!? I don’t think they’re ready for her!”

“Bup bup bup!” Issei said, quickly catching on and silencing Ruby, “She’s in the middle of a ‘shoot’, if you know what I mean.” Issei said as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“The high school one?” Ruby asked, desperately trying to stop herself from laughing.

“With actual high school boys. I swear, she’ll do anything,” Issei then turned to his perverted friends, “And I do mean _anything_ with _anyone_.” He then turned his attention back to his phone, “Huh? Oh, how are you, by the way? …You’re full of power, huh? Don’t overdo it okay?”

“I have the biggest boner right now.” Motohama said quietly with Matsuda nodding in agreement. Looking at their crotches stealthily, Ruby seriously doubted that. After a few more seconds, Issei said goodbye to Mil-tan and hung up with a sigh of relief.

“Mil-tan’s free today! And she’s bringing friends!” Issei told his friends as he handed them the address of the meeting place, which Issei and Ruby got when Mil-tan wanted them to see hi-her again.

“Thank you so much, Issei-sama!” Matsuda and Motohama thanked their fellow pervert as they grabbed the note.

“Hey, I wonder what kind of girl Mil-tan is…” Matsuda wondered dreamily.

“Well, she’s definitely a wild card, I can tell you that.” Ruby said as she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, causing the two to shudder, “Anyway, we best be off! Good-bye and good luck.” Ruby said as she, Issei and a very confused Asia continued their journey to school.

But not before turning a corner, with Ruby and Issei collapsing in a fit of laughter.

(A few hours later…)

“I’m tired!” Ruby breathed out as she and her teammates relaxed in the Occult Research Club Room. Rias was busy so Akeno had trained her while Pancakes and Penny were out handing out contracts as the rest of Team RWBY fulfilled them. Ruby was currently working on channeling her Devil energy into Crescent Rose. It required a great deal of control and energy, which Ruby didn’t have.

“We’re back!” Issei called out as he and Asia walked in, causing Kiba and Koneko to look at them.

“Ara ara, good work. I’ll make some tea.” Akeno said as she went to do just that.

“Yo! Welcome back. How was your evening date?” Kiba asked.

“The best, of course!” Issei replied cockily, causing Asia to blush. He was actually starting to become friendlier with the Prince of Kuoh. Sure, he stole all the girls but Issei was starting to see _why_ he stole all the girls.

“Illicit sexual relations late at night.” Koneko sighed before she continued eating her meat bun. Not too soon after that, Penny and Pancakes walked into the clubroom.

“Our mission is complete, King Ruby!” Penny announced.

“Oh, cool.” Ruby yawned out before looking at the most recent additions to her peerage, “How did it go?”

“All Simple Pentagrams were delivered and passed out as requested, Ruby-sama. There were no encounters with enemies, but as you have requested, have trained to maintain and improve my skill. I await your next task.” Pancakes answered with a bow.

“Gr-Great…” Issei said weakly, uncomfortable around the Fallen Angel, “I’m gonna go report to Buchou.”

“I need to talk to Rias too.” Ruby said as she got up.

“Why?” Blake asked while eating a tuna sandwich.

“Well, I’m actually kinda worried about her.” Ruby admitted, “She seemed a little… depressed for the past few days and she’s been tuning out of my training more often than not lately. There’s definitely something on her mind. I can feel it.”

“Really? I haven’t noticed…” Issei admitted, “But if there’s something troubling Buchou, I’m here to blow it away!”

“Thanks Issei.” Ruby said as she, Issei and Asia entered Rias’ office, “Hey Prez, Issei and Asia are back.” Rias didn’t respond. Looking closely, they realized Rias was asleep, her head propped up by her hand.

“HEY BUCHOU! WE’RE BACK!” Issei called out, waking up Rias and earning a punch in the arm from Ruby.

“S-Sorry, I was dozing off a little bit. Good work.” Rias mumbled as she shook her head awake.

“Um, are you okay Prez, you seem-“

“I’m fine.” Rias interrupted Ruby before taking a deep breath, “Well, now that we’re all here, shall we start the meeting?” Rias announced as Akeno passed out the tea, “Now, shall we have Asia’s official debut as a Devil as well?”

“Huh?” Asia said with a questioning look on her face.

“Well, Asia finished passing out all the fliers, so all she has to do is fulfill them.” Issei said, “She’ll be getting stronger and will rise through the ranks in no time!”

 “Huh? M-Me?” Asia was now thoroughly confused, “I have to fulfill contracts?”

“Yep, that’s how us Devils get stronger.” Ruby said as drank some tea.

“Of course. As long as I keep making you passing out fliers, you three will continue to date each other.” Rias teased, causing Ruby to do a spit take, Issei to blush before having a nosebleed and Asia to sputter out of embarrassment.

“R-Ru-Ruby? Wh-What does she mean by that!?” Yang exclaimed before glaring at Issei, “Did you have something to do with this. YOU BASTARD!”

“WE’RE NOT DATING!” Ruby, Issei and Asia cried out before they all blushed and sat down.

“I’m watching you, perv.” Yang said, shooting a glare at Issei’s direction, causing him to sweat profusely as Rias chuckled.

“Akeno, see if Asia has the magical power to teleport via Summoning Circles.” Rias commanded.

“Yes, Buchou.” Akeno replied as she placed her hand on Asia’s forehead, causing it to glow brightly.

“There have been some circumstances before, so I won’t bother checking Penny and Pancakes.” Rias said.

“I get it! I’m the only Devil here who can’t even get summoned properly and has zero magical talent whatsoever…” Issei groaned.

“Hey, when are Pancakes and Penny going to start fulfilling contracts?” Weiss asked.

“Well, for Penny, it should be soon. She’s still recovering, and we don’t know what will happen if a robot gets summoned by magic. Science and magic tend to not mix well. But once we know for sure Penny will be safe, she’ll be fulfilling contracts in about a week.” Rias explained, “As for Pancakes, I’m being cautious with her. She can’t act without orders from Ruby so anything could happen while she’s out there. Until she gains her own personality and will, she’ll just have to pass out fliers for the time being.”

“I am sorry for being a burden Mistress. Please forgive me.” Pancakes said.

“Ju-Please don’t worry about it.” Ruby groaned.

“Buchou.” Akeno said after checking Asia’s magical potential, causing everyone’s attention to turn to the Queen, “It’s fine. Within our peerage, Asia might be the next one after you and me in terms of magical power. She certainly has a lot of potential.”

“That’s great news! Asia will definitely be a powerful asset with the power of the Bishop.” Rias said, causing Asia to grin.

‘Wow, it feels like it was only yesterday since me and Issei met Asia.’ Ruby thought with a smile, ‘She’ll do great! With her auspicious nature and cuteness, she’ll definitely get along with-‘ Suddenly, Ruby’s smile dropped as numerous worst case scenarios started to play in her head.

Asia being forced to strip.

Asia being groped by a man.

Asia being ra-

“Issei… why are you crying?” Rias deadpanned as she saw Issei’s eyes overflow with tears. She looked over at Ruby and held a gasp, “And why are you sharpening your scythe!?” She exclaimed as Ruby used a whetstone to sharpen her scythe, her hair covering her eyes as a dark presence emitted from her.

“Buchou! I can’t allow it!” Issei shouted out, “The thought of having Asia do it alone makes me feel horrible! Think about Asia! If a strange guy requests Asia to do something indecent.” He then summoned his Sacred Gear as a wild look came into his eyes, “ ** _I won’t be able to hold back!_** ” Issei finished demonically.

“People who touch Asia must die. People who touch Asia must die. People who touch Asia must die.” Ruby chanted darkly with each stroke of the whetstone across her blade.

“Um, I’m sure with your Boosted Gear, you’ll take care of all the indecent requests so it’ll be alright.” Rias said, “And just to make sure, Ruby goes with you.”

“Yes!” Issei and Ruby cheered out, before realizing what Rias just said, “Wait, what?”

“But just in case.” Rias sighed before looking at Koneko and then Asia, “Asia, you’ll be with Koneko for a while in fulfilling contracts.”

“Huh, with Koneko’s strength and experience with contracts, Asia should be safe Ruby.” Weiss said, “Now stop sharpening your scythe.” The Heiress deadpanned. Ruby blushed and put away the whetstone.

“Pleasure to work with you, Asia-senpai.” Koneko said as she offered Asia a banana.

“Y-Yes. The pleasure’s all mine.” Asia replied as she took the banana and started eating it. Suddenly, the Summoning Circle in the middle of the room began to glow.

“Would you look at that? It seems we already have a contract that Asia can handle.” Akeno spoke up. Asia and Koneko nodded as they entered the Summoning Circle.

“Well then, I’m off, Issei-san! Ruby-san!” Asia called out.

“Take care!” Ruby and Issei called back before Asia and Koneko disappeared in a flash of light.

“So about the ‘indecent requests’…” Ruby started, but was stopped by Rias.

“Issei, today you can go home and rest. You’ll be late if you don’t.” Rias said before turning to Ruby, “Ruby, I need to ask you a private favour. Do you mind meeting me inside my office? Now, please?”

“Of course, Prez.” Ruby replied, thinking it would be another lesson. She walked into Rias’ office and waited. After a while, Rias came in and closed the door behind her and sighed, “So… what do you want?”

“Ruby, this is a matter of life… or death.” Rias said seriously, “If you are to fail, I’m afraid it may be the end as we know it.” Ruby’s eyes widened as she looked at Rias, “I cannot stress how serious this mission is, no matter how simple it is.”

“Rias. I learned it the hard way.” Ruby said seriously, “Even simple missions can go awry. If it means life or death, then count me in.” Rias smiled as she looked at Ruby. She knew she could always put her trust in the Red Reaper.

“Okay. If you choose to accept this mission, there’s no turning back. When you’re ready, meet me at the Summoning Circle.” Rias said before leaving. Ruby looked at where Rias was standing and frowned.

“Is this thing that’s been bothering Rias lately?” Ruby wondered out loud before shaking her head, “Well, no matter it is, I’ll ease her suffering. One way or another.” Ruby whispered to herself as she exited Rias’ office.

“I see you accept.” Rias said with a smirk.

“Well, after this you will owe me.” Ruby replied with a grin as she stepped into the Summoning Circle, “Alright, what’s the mission President Rias?”

“Your mission…” Rias started, pausing for dramatics before finishing in a serious tone, “Is to guard the door.”

“Huh?” And with that, Rias activated the Summoning Circle. Next thing she knew, she was in a familiar looking room. It took her a second to realize what the room was.

It was Issei’s.

“Wh-Wh-WHAT!?” Ruby exclaimed.

“B-Buchou!? Ruby!? What are you two doing here!?” Issei exclaimed as well, “Is there something wrong!? Did something happen to Asia!?”

“No. It’s much worse.” Rias said in a grim tone as she walked up to the Pawn.

“What the Hell is going on!?” Ruby shouted out, “Guard the door!? What!?”

“’Guard the door’?” Issei repeated before being pushed down onto his bed, “Buchou?”

And then she grabbed one of his hands and shoved it onto her breasts.

“Issei… Take my virginity!”


	11. A Simple Bet

It seemed like the world hated Ruby ever since she became a Devil. Every time she wanted to relax, she ended up getting more stressed or traumatized. She didn’t know why she deserved this, and the whole philosophy of “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger” wasn’t working for her. But, she was a leader. The King of her peerage, made up of her family, friends and Pancakes. She was given a second chance in life, and she was not going to waste a single minute. Once everything was sorted and when they were ready, they were going back to Remnant, ready to face the consequences of their actions.

But, the world still hated her. And that’s why she was wishing she was dead as Rias stripped in front of Issei, ready to have sex with him.

“What the Hell!?” Issei exclaimed. “Ruby!? Why are you here!?”

“I don’t know!” Ruby replied loudly. “Rias, what the heck are you doing!?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Rias said, as if it was the most normal thing in the world as she stripped down to only her underwear. “I want Issei to take my virginity.”

“But Buchou, this is-“ Issei tried to say, only to realize that Rias was only in her underwear, and shuddered.

“Issei, aren’t I good enough for you?” Rias asked, looking rather sad.

“N-No! Absolutely not!” Issei stuttered.

“Hold on a minute! Why am _I_ here!?” Ruby exclaimed in a panicked tone, waving her hands around frantically.

“I told you to guard the door.” Rias replied. “If Issei’s parents see you outside, they’ll know something’s up.”

“Prez, for the love of…” Ruby started only to bite her lip. “You can’t do this!”

“Ruby, I thought about it all sorts of things, but this is the only method left.” Rias said. Issei and Ruby noted the somewhat glum tone Rias had in her voice. “If there is evidence, they can’t complain about it. There are only two people who are close to me who are able to do it, and one of them is you, Issei.”

“Wait? ‘Method’? ‘They’? Hold on, what do you mean by ‘people’!?” Issei said frantically, his brain desperately trying to process why his club president wanted to lose her virginity to him.

“Yuuto won’t do it. He is a pure Knight. He would decline for sure. And the other person I had in mind…” Rias explained, but trailed off when she thought of the second person. “That’s why I selected you, Issei. You were the only person capable to do it.”

“But… Issei’s kind of a loser…” Ruby pointed out.

“Oh, thanks!” Issei called out, only for Rias to climb onto his bed.

“You may be lacking certain qualities, but you still have potential I cannot ignore.” Rias said as she unhooked her bra. “You are the only one who would do it as soon as I ask and will go to the end.”

“Bu-Buchou…” Issei said, his breathing becoming heavy.

“President Rias…” Ruby whispered out, frozen on the spot. But Ruby’s voice snapped Issei out of his trance. As he realized the Low-Class King was going to watch them have sex, he remembered something he learned while hanging out with her.

(Flashback!)

“So… Ruby.” Issei spoke up. He, Asia and Ruby were walking down the street eating ice-cream, heading over to the arcade to get another Ratchu-kun for the former nun. “Why are you my friend?”

“Huh?” Ruby said as she licked her quadruple scope strawberry ice-cream. “Why are you asking me that? Is it because you’re ‘just friends’ with a girl? C’mon, you’re friends with Asia, and I’m friends with a ton of guys-“

“It’s not that, it’s just…” Issei sighed. “Most girls would run away from me, glare at me as soon as I walk into the room, talk behind my back about how much of a bad person I am. You know I’m one of the biggest pervs in the school. So, why are you friends with me?”

“Issei, are you kidding me?” Ruby chuckled out. “I’m not your friend for nothing. Despite your perverseness, you’re a great guy. It’s just… not a lot of people can see how much of good guy you are. You’re brave, you’re generous, and you genuinely care for the people you make bonds with.”

“So… you’ll over look me looking at your-“ Issei started, before getting whacked in the head.

“No. But, it’s the sacrifice I’m making just so we can be friends.” Ruby said as she looked up at the sky. “No one does anything without a reason after all.”

(Flashback End!)

“No one does anything without a reason after all.” Issei whispered to himself before looking at Rias. “Buchou, please stop.”

“Huh? Are you getting nervous?” Rias asked, wondering why Issei was hesitating now. “It’s your first time, right? It’s my first time too so it’s only natur-“ Rias stopped talking when Issei just looked at her straight in the eye.

“Buchou… why?” Issei said, trying to ignore his other head. “I’m not losing my virginity to a girl who doesn’t love me.”

Ruby swore she could hear glass shattering.

Rias only stared at Issei as she and the Pawn sat up. “I mean, ‘methods’? ‘They’? You don’t want to have sex because you want to… it’s because you need to, isn’t it?” Issei said. “No one does anything without a reason. I’m sorry Buchou. I am honoured to take your virginity, but not right now. Not when you’re forced to, when I’m the only option.”

“I-I…” Rias was speechless, but she knew there was a chance that Issei wouldn’t give into his desires. She was a strategist, like all good chess players, so she always had contingency plans, and contingency plans for that contingency plan.

Rias was going slam her head into a wall later tonight.

‘Well, time for Plan R.’ Rias thought regretfully as she stood up and looked at the Red Reaper. “I’m sorry Ruby…”

“Prez, what are you-“ Ruby started, only to get tackled to the ground. “What the-!?”

“Ruby…” Rias sobbed out, her tears running down her face. “Please… take my virginity…”

“R-Rias!?” Ruby exclaimed. She tried to push Rias off her but she pinned her arms to the ground as she smashed her sizable chest against Ruby’s own. “Huh? What? I NEED AN ADULT!”

“Buchou!?” Issei exclaimed, his nose flowing with blood.

“Rip my hymen. Make me orgasm. Touch me! _Do anything to me_!” Rias cried out, desperation in her voice. “I DON’T WANNA BE A BRIDE!”

“…Huh?” Ruby said softly as she realized what Rias just said. “A… bride?” Suddenly, the room started to light up as a symbol appeared in the middle. Ruby realized that the symbol was that of the Gremory clan of Devils. “What?”

“Damn it…” Rias growled in frustration. “I’m too late…” Issei’s room lit up more as someone appeared within the Summoning Circle. Ruby looked at her position and quickly blushed madly.

‘I’m gonna die, aren’t I?’ Ruby thought as the light started to die down. ‘Someone from Rias’ family is gonna see us and kill me. Well, it was a nice run while it lasted. Fuck you, God!’ Ruby closed her eyes in anticipation of her death until she heard someone talking.

“Are you trying to break the agreement by doing something like this?” The voice deadpanned. Ruby hesitantly opened her eyes, seeing a beautiful silver-haired maid in the middle of the room. “Especially with another woman.” Ruby nodded hesitantly.

“If I don’t go this far, both Otou-sama and Onii-sama won’t listen to me, right ?” Rias said as she sat up from Ruby, freeing her arms.

“Both Sirzechs-sama and the Master will become sad after they find out you tried to give your purity to not only one lowly person, but two people undeserving of your innocence.” The maid said sternly.

‘What is she talking about?’ Ruby mouthed to Issei.

‘I think her father and brother.’ Issei mouthed back. ‘I’m just as clueless as you are.’

“Do not talk them like they’re trash, Grayfia.” Rias growled. “My purity is mine alone. What’s wrong with giving it to someone I acknowledge? And if you dare call my friends ‘lowly’, I will never forgive you.” Issei and Ruby couldn’t help but feel touched before realizing the situation they were in.

“B-Bu-Boobs-chu.” Issei flubbed out before shaking his head as Ruby face palmed. “Buchou, what’s going on?”

“Yeah!” Ruby called out as she pushed Rias off of her body and stood up. “You better have a good explanation, Rias!”

“Do not speak to your superior in such an informal way, Miss!” Grayfia said harshly as she picked Rias’ bra.

“Grayfia. She is as much my equal as I am a Gremory and don’t you dare forget it.” Rias retorted before mentally adding. ‘I don’t deserve to be her superior anyway. Not after everything I have done.’

“That does not excuse the fact you are the next heiress of the House of Gremory, so do not show your skin so recklessly, especially to a man.” Grayfia said as she looked at Ruby. “Even more so if you are in the middle of this situation.” She added as she put Rias’ bra back on for her and cleaned up her tears. She then looked at Ruby and Issei and bowed. “I am sorry for my earlier outbursts. How do you do. I’m a maid that serves the House of Gremory. My name is Grayfia, Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Hi…” Issei and Ruby greeted awkwardly.

“Grayfia, did you come here at your own accord? Or is it because the household sent you?” Rias asked, not back down easily as she pinched Issei’s cheek when she noticed that he was staring. “Or… is it Onii-sama?” The look on Rias’ face told everyone in the room that she didn’t like anything that was going on.

“All of the above.” Grayfia answered simply. Rias could only sigh in defeat.

“Is that so?” Rias said as she picked up her clothes. “You, who is my brother’s Queen, came to the human world personally. So it can only be one thing.” Rias looked down sadly. “I understand.” As she got dressed, she looked at both Issei and Ruby and sighed. “Both of you. Issei, Ruby. Let’s make it so that the thing from earlier never happened. I wasn’t thinking straight, so let’s just forget about today’s incident.”

“That’s gonna be a little hard, Prez.” Ruby said before sighing. “But fine. But tomorrow, I want answers.” Rias nodded at her apprentice as Grayfia looked rather shocked.

“Issei? Ruby? Wait, are these…” Grayfia whispered out, not believing the moment.

“Yes. The boy here is Issei Hyoudou, my Pawn and the wielder of the Boosted Gear.” Rias introduced Issei before pointing at Ruby. “And the girl in red here is Ruby Rose, my apprentice and the first ever Low-Class King.”

“Sup.” Issei greeted lazily.

“I have no idea what’s going on.” Ruby admitted, still confused and further confused as Grayfia stared at them as though they were the most interesting people on the planet, despite being so calm and collected not three seconds earlier.

“The Boosted Gear, the one possessed by the Emperor of Dragons.” Grayfia said in awe before looking at Ruby. “And the Human King cursed by the Vale-“

“Grayfia! Let’s go back to my room.” Rias interrupted, now fully dressed. “I will listen to what you have to say there. Akeno can also attend, right?”

“The ‘Priestess of Thunder’?” Grayfia said. “I don’t mind. It’s a must for all High-Class Devils to have their Queen by their side at all times.”

“Very well.” Rias said before looking at the thoroughly confused Ruby and Issei. She walked up to them and gave them hugs, with Rias adding a kiss to Issei’s cheek. “Please forgive me for my actions tonight. I troubled you both a lot. You will get your answers tomorrow. At the clubroom, I promise.”

“Su-Sure…” Ruby said, still rather confused. Rias waved farewell as she and Grayfia disappeared using the Summoning Circle, leaving Issei and Ruby alone.

“…What the _HECK_ just happened!?” Ruby exclaimed.

“I’m… I don’t know…” Issei admitted. Suddenly, the door opened.

“Issei-san, I’m back from-“ Asia started, only to stop herself at the sight of Ruby. “Huh? Ruby-san? Why are you here?”

“You know, I don’t know anymore.” Ruby answered. “…Do you mind if I crash here?”

“’Crash’?” Asia asked, looking confused.

“Huh? Oh, sure.” Issei replied tonelessly.

“Thank you.” Ruby said… before face planting into the ground.

“Wah!” Asia exclaimed. “Ruby-san!”

“I’m fine! Just… I need to reevaluate my life choices. And I don’t know how to get to the apartment from here.” Ruby said, her voice muffled from the carpet. “Goodnight, everyone.”

“U-Uh… um…” Asia said as she looked at Ruby before looking at Issei, who was frozen touching the cheek Rias kissed. “Um… goodnight?” Asia hesitantly before shutting the door. It was quiet in the room as the two contemplated what had just occurred. Unable to really think, Ruby realized something.

“I didn’t ask what she meant by weird requests.”

(Next Day!)

“I’m fine Yang.” Ruby said while walking to school with Asia and Issei. She felt rather tired as she couldn’t sleep. And from the looks of it, so did Issei. “I just slept over at the Hyoudous… Yes, they still believe that… No, I didn’t get Blake-mailed. Damn it Yang, you got me doing it too… No, Issei was a gentleman the entire night… No, I didn’t get paid… Yes, Crescent Rose is with me… Yang, stop worrying. And you’re right in front of me.”

“Ruby, I-“ Yang started before hanging up her phone and turning around to see her sister. “Ruby, I can’t help but feel worried! I mean… what would happen if you get hurt? What if you get killed again?”

“I won’t.” Ruby said, determination in her voice.

“Still, will you tell me what happened last night? Why didn’t you come home? You have any idea what it took to get Pancakes to come to school today?” Yang asked before noticing Ruby’s tired look. “And are you alright?

“I’m fine Yang, just-“ Ruby groaned, only to see Issei getting tackled by Motohama and Matsuda. “I’m sorry, but I have to save Issei from his idiot friends.” Yang could only stare as Ruby started beating up the two along with Issei, while she and Asia just watched.

“Well, I have the feeling this is gonna be an interesting day.” Yang muttered as Ruby and Issei started tag-teaming the perverts.

“It was just a prank bro!” Ruby exclaimed.

“Maybe calling Mil-tan was going too far.” Issei mumbled, only to overhear some students walking by.

“Have you heard? Issei Hyoudou has been blackmailing girls into hanging out with him. I knew he was a pervert but I never thought he’d go this far.”

“Yeah. I also heard that one of the transfer students, Ruby I think, is being used by him.”

“Really? I heard he-“ They heard enough as they kicked Matsuda and Motohama in the nuts.

“CRITICAL HIT TO THE NADS, ASSHOLES!” Issei, Yang and Ruby shouted out.

(After School)

“Buchou’s problem? Maybe it has to do with the House of Gremory.” Kiba guessed. Team RWBY, Penny, Issei, Kiba and Asia were walking over to the clubroom after meeting up on the way there.

“Huh? Is there something wrong with President Rias?” Penny asked before looking around. “And where’s Pancakes?” As if on cue, Pancakes caught up to the group.

“Mistress, I have done what you have tasked me and promptly humiliated these ‘Matsuda and Motohama’ people.” Pancakes announced. “It is likely that the rumors spread about you and Issei-san will be overwritten by their humiliation. I am ready for your next command.”

“Good girl.” Ruby said as she threw Pancakes a cookie, which she ate.

“What did you make her do?” Weiss asked.

“I dunno. I just said not to hurt them.” Ruby replied. “Anyway, back to the conversation from before. I heard that Akeno was involved, you’d think she would know?”

“Well, Akeno-san is Buchou’s most trusted servant, so obviously she would know.” Kiba answered.

“You shouldn’t be nosy, Ruby.” Blake said. “We have to respect Rias’ privacy.”

“I know. It’s just that…” Ruby started, trying to keep her blush under control as she remembered last night. “Prez hasn’t been herself for the past few weeks. I’m worried.”

“Me too.” Issei said. “I saw Buchou cry yesterday. Whatever trouble she’s having, we’re gonna help her. I never want to see Buchou cry again…”

“We all want to help Buchou to the best of our abilities but that-“ Kiba stopped himself as he held everyone back. “I didn’t detect this presence until I got here.” Kiba muttered. “How is this possible?”

“Is someone in the clubroom?” Blake asked as she pulled out her weapons, only for Kiba to put them down.

“They’re not hostile.” Kiba said seriously. “But don’t let your guard down. Physically and mentally. This won’t be pretty.” Asia quickly hid behind Issei as everyone nodded. Ruby slowly opened the door to the clubroom and walked in. She looked around and saw Rias, Akeno, Koneko… and Grayfia in the room. Rias did not look happy. Akeno was still had the usual warm smile on her face but everything else told Ruby she was cold. Koneko was in the corner eating, obviously not wanting to be there. And Grayfia was just as calm and collected as ever.

Ruby felt crushed under the tense atmosphere.

“Er… hi?” Yang greet awkwardly to the maid.

“Looks like everyone’s here.” Rias sighed. “Before we begin club activities, I believe I owe people some answers.”

“Yes.” Ruby said as she stepped up. “Why were you upset yesterday?”

“Ruby, this doesn’t just affect you. It affects everyone here.” Rias responded. “That’s why I’m telling you all now.”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Ruby frowned.

“Ojou-sama, do you want me to explain the situation?” Grayfia asked. Rias quickly rejected it with a hand gesture. Rias sighed before steeling her nerves and putting on a serious face.

“The truth is-“ Just as the word leave her lips, a Summoning Circle, one that most in the room don’t recognize, appears in the middle of the clubroom.

“What the-? What’s happening!?” Weiss exclaimed.

“Is another Gremory coming here?” Issei asked.

“No.” Kiba said seriously. “It’s Phoenix.” As if on cue, magical flames started erupting from the Summoning Circle, emitting an intense heat the Devils in the room could barely stand. Once the flames died down, everyone had a chance to look at who just appeared. It was a guy in his 20s wearing a casual red suit. Ruby had to admit he was quite handsome, but something about him made her want to vomit on the spot.

No, it was more like she wanted to vomit on _him_.

“Fuu, it’s been a while since I came to the human world.” The Phoenix said as he stepped out of the Circle and looked around, before fixing his gaze at Rias. “My lovely Rias. I came to see you.”

“Uh… do you know this guy?” Yang asked Rias.

“Unfortunately.” Rias answered with a sigh, only for the Phoenix to hug her from behind.

“How could you say that?” the Phoenix said. “Now then, my precious Rias. Let’s go look at the ceremony hall. The date of the ceremony has been decided, so we need to check it before then.”

“Let go of me, Raiser!” Rias shouted out as she elbowed his gut. The now named Raiser didn’t seem to be affected by it. He was just smirking. Ruby wanted to wipe the bastard’s smirk off his face, and she was sure Rias and her peerage, as well as her own, wanted to do the same. The only thing holding them back was the presence of Grayfia and the lack of information on him. They didn’t know if he deserved to get punched in the dick for being a dick.

“Hey! You!” Issei called out. “You’re being rude to Buchou!”

“Yeah! What makes you think you can just touch her like that!” Ruby called out as well. Ruby glared at Raiser as he looked at both of them as if they were trash.

“Ruby, shut up!” Weiss whispered to her King, but Ruby didn’t even pay attention.

“Ah? And who are you two?” Raiser asked in a disgusted voice. This only served to rile up Ruby and Issei more.

“Nothing more than the servant of Rias Gremory! My name is Issei Hyoudou and I am a Pawn!” Issei announced.

“And I am the apprentice of Rias Gremory! My name is Ruby Rose, and I am the Low-Class King!” Ruby declared. Raiser only stared at them in disinterest.

“Hm. Guess they’ll make anyone a King these days. Even trash.” Raiser muttered. Ruby was now pissed.

“Who the Hell do you think you are.” Ruby demanded, she and Issei barely holding themselves back from attacking the guy. Raiser only seemed to smirk at that.

“Oh?” Raiser said. “Rias, you haven’t mentioned me to your servants and your ‘apprentice’? I mean, are there guys who don’t know me? Reincarnated Devils? Even so.”

“I didn’t tell them because there was no need.” Rias answered off-handedly.

“Oh my, harsh like always.” Raiser laughed out.

“This intense feeling…” Penny muttered as she clutched her chest. “Is this… rage?”

“Issei Hyoudou-sama. Ruby Rose-sama.” Grayfia spoke up, getting their attention. “This person is Raiser Phoenix-sama. He’s a Pure-Blooded, High-Class Devil and the third son of the House of Phoenix.”

“Isn’t Phoenix supposed to be those fire birds or something?” Issei muttered to himself before shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter. How does this guy know Buchou!?” Grayfia looked at Rias and Raiser and took a deep breath.

“He will be the husband of the next heiress of the House of Gremory.” Grayfia answered.

“Heiress of the House of Gremory…” Ruby and Issei mumbled to themselves, wondering where they heard it before.

_“That does not excuse the fact you are the next heiress of the House of Gremory, so don’t show your skin so recklessly, especially to a man.” Grayfia said as she looked at Ruby. “Even more so if you are in the middle of this situation.”_

“Wait a minute!” Ruby said in surprise. “That means…!”

“You are correct Ruby-sama.” Grayfia said. “Raiser Phoenix-sama is engaged to Rias Gremory-ojousama.”

(A few minutes later)

The tense atmosphere was still around, even after Akeno made tea. Akeno was struggling to keep her smile up at this point. Rias and Ruby’s peerage were all holding themselves back, with Yang the closest one to socking Raiser in the face. Ruby could feel their hate, which only fueled her own. And yet, she knew she couldn’t do anything. Not unless she wanted to die. She knew this because she could feel his overwhelming power covering the room, dwarfing her own and everyone else’s. She shook her head and tried to stay calm. She couldn’t lose her cool now.

“Stop it already!” Apparently, Rias didn’t get the memo. “I told you before, Raiser! I will never marry you!”

“Yes, I heard that before.” Raiser said, sighing. “But Rias, that won’t do, you know? I think the situation of your household is quite serious.”

“That’s none of your concern!” Rias growled as she stood up from her seat. “If I’m the next heiress for the House of Gremory, then I will choose who will become my husband! My father, brother, and everyone in the clan are rushing it! It was a promise that I will be free until I graduate from university of the human world!”

“That’s right. You will basically be free. You can go to college and you can do whatever you like with your servants. But your Otou-sama and Sirzechs-sama are worried.” Raiser said. “They are afraid that your household will become extinct. We lost a great number of Pure-Blooded Devils in the last war. Even if the war has ended, our rivalry with the Fallen Angels and God hasn’t ended yet. It’s not rare for the successors of Pure-Blooded Devils to get killed in the worthless battle against them, which leads to the household becoming extinct. So for a Pure-Blooded Devil that also happens to be a High-Class Devil, getting together would be the obvious solution for the forces of Devils. A Pure-Blooded High-Class Devil. Even you know that these children will be important from now on, right?”

“Yeah, but-“ Yang started, but was quickly pulled back by her teammates.

“The newly produced Devils…” Raiser continued. “The ones like your servants, the reincarnated Devils, are expanding in terms of strength but that would make us, the High-Class Devils with old history background, lose our place. There are old nobles who get close to the reincarnated Devils because they are very powerful. Well, that might be alright. The newly produced Devils are also important for our future. But we can’t allow the Pure-Blooded Devils to go extinct right? You and I were chosen in order to prevent the Pure-Bloods from going extinct. My house is safe because I have my older brothers. But there are only two siblings in your house. And your brother is someone who left the house. Then there would only be you, Rias, who can inherit the House of Gremory. If you don’t take a husband, the House of Gremory will go extinct in your generation. Are you trying to crush the household that has been continuing for a very long time? Because of the past war, there is not even half the number of Devils who were referred as ‘72 pillars’. This marriage has the future of the Devils on the line.”

“And?” Ruby spoke up, now having enough of the guy.

“And what?” Raiser said.

“Ruby, stay out of this.” Rias whispered to her fellow King.

“No. I’m not letting you fight a battle by yourself.” Ruby replied as she stood up. “High-Class. Pure-Blooded. Reincarnated. What’s the difference? As long as genes are passed on, the Gremory Clan can survive, a Pure-Blooded Devil or not. We’re all Devils. So what about the war against God and the Fallen Angels, there’s always a way to prevent loss of life.”

“But no war is without the dead.” Raiser pointed out. “And Devils have low fertility rates. So, ‘Human King’, what happens then? I doubt you know a thing about Devil politics.”

“At least we can try!” Ruby called out, slamming her hands on the table. “Yeah, I don’t know anything about Devil politics. Hell, I barely understand human politics. But this isn’t right. So what? High-Class Devils will still be High-Class, and it’s not like Devils have the life span of humans! And it’s not like Rias will never get married! And losing your place in the modern world?” Ruby said, laughing at the thought. “It’s like some family living off of old money! They want things to stay the same yet the world changes around them! They may be powerful, but they can’t stop it. They think they’re better yet they never earned any of it! All this!” Ruby exclaimed as she spread her arms wide open. “This talk about Pure-Bloods, the High-Class, this arranged marriage. All of this _is_ **_bullshit_**!” The word echoed around the room, stunning everyone there. Ruby didn’t know it, but her eyes had gone blood red throughout her rant.

“Ruby-sama! Do not use such-“ Grayfia was interrupted by Rias.

“I’m not going to crush my house. And I am willing to take a husband.” Rias said. Raiser was about to say something, but was cut off by Rias’ glare. “But I won’t marry you, Raiser. I will marry the one I acknowledge, the one I actually love. Even the Devils from an old noble house have the right to choose.” Upon hearing those words, Raiser’s expression shifted. He went from a cocky smirk to a truly angry glare.

“You know, Rias.” Raiser growled. “I’m also a Devil who carries the name of House of Phoenix behind me. I can’t let that name get tarnished. I didn’t even want to come to a small old building like this in the human world. Rather, I don’t like the human world that much. The fire and wind of this world is filthy. For a Devil like me who rules fire and wind, I can’t stand it!” Suddenly, flames started to appear around him as his killing intent intensified, the flames forming into a bird. A phoenix. Ruby collapsed onto her knees, unable to endure it. She felt like her lungs were getting crushed by the sheer power Raiser displayed. Weiss and Blake weren’t doing too well too, but Penny, Yang, Pancakes and the rest of the ORC were ready to attack, with Pancakes even going as far as to summon her Light Spears while Issei comforted Asia. And Grayfia was as calm as ever. “I will take you back to the underworld, even if I have to burn everyone in this room!”

“Over. My. Dead. Body.” Ruby grunted out as she struggled to stand up before flaring as much power as she could.

“That can be arranged.” Raiser said with a smirk, his power growing by the second.

“Don’t you dare threaten my apprentice.” Rias growled as she flared her power as well. Ruby was close to breaking point as her Devil energy started to flicker to a cyan blue. Things would’ve gone badly if Grayfia hadn’t interrupted.

“Ojou-sama, Ruby-sama, Raiser-sama, please calm down.” Grayfia said sternly, standing in the middle of the three-way standoff. “If all of you were to continue, then I won’t be quiet about it. For Sirzechs-sama’s honour, I won’t hold back.” Ruby really wanted to argue, but she knew Grayfia would destroy her in an instant.

“To be told that by the “Strongest Queen”, even I would be scared…” Raiser admitted as the flames started to die down. “I definitely wouldn’t want to fight the people from Sirzech-sama’s group, which is known to be made up of monsters.” And with that, everyone stood down, not wanting to die by the hands of Grayfia. The ‘Strongest Queen’ saw that no one was willing to fight under her watch and turned to Rias. “Master, Sirzechs-sama, and those from the House of Phoenix knew it would turn out like this. To tell you the truth this was to be the last discussion meeting. Everyone knew that it wouldn’t be solved, so they decided to make a last resort.”

“’Last resort’?” Rias repeated. “What do you mean, Grayfia?” Grayfia sighed as she looked Rias in the eyes.

“Ojou-sama, if you wish to push your opinion forward, then how about you settle it by having a Rating Game against Raiser-sama?”

“DEAL!” Ruby shouted out almost automatically.

“Ruby!?” The ORC and Ruby’s peerage exclaimed in surprise.

“I mean, Rias-sama’s peerage vs. Raiser-sama’s peerage.” Grayfia deadpanned. “This does not concern you, Ruby-sama.”

“It does now!” Ruby yelled out. “…Wait, what’s a Rating Game again?” Everyone in the room face faulted, except Penny, Asia and Pancakes, having not heard of a Rating Game before, and Issei, who just plain forgot and thanked whatever higher power that he wasn’t seen as an idiot this time.

“It’s a game that is played by the Devils with peerage, and they compete by making their servants battle.” Kiba explained after he recovered. “Where your strength in the game reflects greatly in your social standing among other Devils.”

“Oh my home in Remnant, we’re gonna die.” Weiss muttered to herself.

“But, I thought Buchou and Ruby weren’t old enough to participate in Rating Games?” Issei pointed out.

“You are correct. Only mature aged Devils can participate in official Rating Games.” Grayfia spoke up. “But if it’s an unofficial match between Pure-Blooded Devils, even immature Devils can participate. However, in this case—”

“When it involves the family and household problems.” Rias said with a sigh before growling. “In other words Otou-sama and the others decided to have a game as a last resort if I was to decline, right? Just how far are they intending to interfere with my life to feel satisfied...?!”

“And Ruby-sama, I made it clear to you before that you cannot participate in Rating Games, period.” Grayfia explained. “You are not of age, you are not of Class, and you are not of Pure-Blood. And this is between Rias-ojousama and Raiser-sama only.” Ruby only growled in frustration as Grayfia focused back on Rias. “Then Ojou-sama, you are saying you would also decline to participate in the Game?”

“No, I won’t, since this is a chance. Alright then. Let’s settle this with a Game, Raiser.” Rias declared, determination in her voice. Raiser only smirked at Rias’ provocative words.

“Hee, so you're accepting it. I don’t mind.” Raiser said. “But I’m already a matured Devil and I have already participated in the official Game, and I have won most of the games I fought. Even so, you still want to play, Rias?”

“Um… maybe you should think about-“ Blake spoke up, only for Rias ignore her and grin.

“I will. I will blow you away, Raiser!” Rias said with a fearless smile on her face.

“Fine. If you win, do whatever you like. But if I win, you will marry me immediately.” Raiser said as they both glared at each other.

“I’m not gonna stay by the sidelines.” Ruby muttered. “I can’t. I wanna participate in the Rating Games!”

“King Ruby. Miss Grayfia said you can’t participate.” Penny reminded her King.

“But! But!” Ruby tried to think of another reason but she had already been told the face several times already. She knew she should give up.

But that was not the way of Ruby Rose.

“Understood. I, Grayfia, have confirmed both sides opinion. I will be in charge of the game between the two household. Is that okay?” Grayfia said.

“Yes.”

“Yeah.” Both Rias and Raiser said in unison, still glaring at each other.

“Understood.” Grayfia said with a nod. “I will inform the two households then.”

“Hey, Rias. Which ones here are your servants?” Raiser asked.

“Kiba, Akeno, Koneko, Asia and Issei.” Rias answered, her left eye twitching. “So what?” Raiser didn’t say anything as he snaps his fingers, smirking. Suddenly, the Summoning Circle in the middle of the room glowed.

“Oh shit…” Issei swore as more and more people started to appear. First one, then two, then four, then…

“You have your cute little servants, well I have mine!” Raiser called out, introducing the ORC and Ruby’s peerage to his _full set_ of peerage members. All 15 members. From Pawns to his single Queen. Suddenly, everyone in the room realized something… odd about Raiser’s peerage.

“WHY ARE THEY ALL WOMEN!?” Weiss exclaimed.

“H-He has a harem…” Issei whispered out, staring at the variety of breast in the room. ‘Damn it! That bastard’s living my dream!’ Issei thought. ‘I can’t wait to kick his ass!’

“Rias only has 5 peerage members and Raiser has triple that.” Blake said glumly. “This isn’t good.”

Suddenly, Ruby had an idea.

A really, _really_ stupid idea.

An idea which (she hoped) would work out in the end.

As Issei tried to attack Raiser with his Boosted Gear, knowing that Raiser would only continue to flirt with his peerage despite marrying Rias, Ruby decided that the only way Rias would win…

Was to give ‘em everything she’s got.

“THAT’S IT! ENOUGH!” Ruby shouted out, causing Issei to skid to a stop. He wondered why Ruby yelled out, only for that thought to be forgotten when he was punched in the stomach by one of Raiser’s servants.

“Issei-san!” Asia cried out as she quickly went to heal him. Ruby ignored him and stomped her way to Raiser.

“I’m getting into the Rating Game.” Ruby growled at Raiser.

“Hm? What makes you think you can?” Raiser asked, paying not much attention to the Low-Class King. Ruby only glared at him with red-hot hate in her eyes.

“Because…” Ruby started through gritted teeth. It was now or never. If she didn’t do this, Rias would be forced into a life of misery and suffering. And she couldn’t stand idle by and watch as she lose the Rating Game.

But Ruby would make sure she would win.

“Humans can’t be Kings, right? Well, if I can join Rias in the Rating Game and we lose anyway, I’ll kill myself at the engagement party.”


	12. A Simple Promise

Number 15 in the Tarot Deck. The Devil Arcana.

The Devil Arcana has many negative connotations normally associated with it, representing the urge to do selfish, impulsive and violent acts, becoming a slave to their own emotions and feelings. However, it also represents healthy bonds or commitments. Often those representing the Arcana are of poor character. Greedy. Lustful. Proud. But always committed to their cause through and through.

No matter what, they were loyal to a fault.

Rias didn’t know why she was thinking about fortune telling at the moment. She only had a passing interest in Tarot Cards and Jungian Theory. Never really going in depth and only knowing the meaning of the Devil Arcana out of curiousity (And not because the author took several hours to figure out an intro and was thinking about Persona at the time). But as she thought about it more, she came to realize something.

At this moment, she represented the negative side of the Devil Arcana, while Ruby represented as the positive side of the Arcana.

That was not a good thing.

 “Well, if I can join Rias in the Rating Game and we lose anyway, I’ll kill myself at the engagement party.” Ruby declared; determination and barely restrained rage directed at Raiser in her voice. The whole room was quiet after that. There were many reactions, ranging from shock, disbelief and even amusement. Yet no one dared to say a word after Ruby’s declaration.

“…Ruby-sama, I have already informed you.” Grayfia said calmly, though was honestly annoyed at Ruby’s foolishness. “Under no circumstances can you-“

“Let her.” Raiser said, still having a smile that continued to piss off Issei and pretty much everyone except his own peerage in the room. “It would be interesting to fight the Low-Class King. And her death might be beneficial in the long run.”

“You son of a-“ Yang started yell out, her eyes an intense red, as she tried to attack Raiser but was stopped by Grayfia. As Yang tried to get herself out of the maid’s grip, Grayfia sighed.

“…If you wish.” Grayfia said. “But, additional rules must be set.”

“K-King Ruby…” Penny whispered out. Ruby only smirked in response.

“I got this.” Ruby said before turning Grayfia. “So, what are the rules?”

“Hm. This never really happened before so I must make them up on the spot. Three Kings on one field, with two Kings against one.” Grayfia muttered to herself. “Well, the combined forces of Rias-ojousama and Ruby-sama’s peerages, I say that if one King is defeated in battle or forfeits, they will immediately lose the Rating Game. It will eliminate the problem of their side having ‘two lives’, so to speak. But other than that, they will not receive any additional handicaps or advantages due to still having less members than Raiser-sama’s peerage.”

“Sounds good enough for me.” Ruby said while nodding. “As long as me and my peerage participate.” Grayfia nodded in turn at the young King.

“Ruby, think about it before you-“ Weiss tried to reason with her Leader/King, but only got waved off.

“So it is decided.” Grayfia said. “The Rating Game will be a battle between Rias and Ruby’s combined peerages against Raiser’s peerage.”

“Hey, wait a minute!” Rias called out. “Don’t I have a say in-“

“This will be very interesting…” Raiser muttered to himself, ignoring Rias. “A battle with the Booster Gear Wielder and the Human King.” He then turned to Rias and Ruby. “How about we have the match in 10 days?” The Phoenix suggested. “We could do it now, but that wouldn’t be as interesting.”

“I thought we weren’t getting anymore handicaps.” Rias growled.

“Are you against it? Is it humiliating? Rating Games aren’t something simple that you can win with only your feelings.” Raiser said. “If you can’t use your servant’s power to the fullest, then you will lose immediately. So it’s not weird for you to train with your servants for your first Rating Game. I have seen Devils who lost without using their power to the fullest countless of times, no matter how great their potential and power was.” Despite their hatred towards Raiser, they couldn’t help but agree.

“You may be right… but do you really think we’ll fall down easily?” Ruby said. “We may not have as many members, or experience, and we may not be at our full potential. But…” Ruby looked at Rias before glaring at Raiser. “I won’t just lie down and die. I don’t care if the odds are stacked against us. I don’t give a fucking shit that you think you’re stronger than me because of your name and blood. Rias is my friend and like Hell I’m gonna let her suffer. It isn’t just some bet I made on a whim. It’s a promise of a lifetime!” Ruby shouted out as she threw some dice at Raiser’s chest, harmlessly bouncing off him. Conveniently, all three dice landed on 6.

“Ru-Ruby…” Rias said, stunned at the little speech as her guilt caused her chest to hurt.

“…Is that supposed to mean something?” Raiser asked.

“Hey, you gotta have a bit of luck if you wanna make a game fun.” Ruby replied with a smirk. “I’ll make sure of that.”

“But dice in a game of chess will not do a thing.” Raiser said as he held his hand out, causing the Phoenix Summoning Circle to appear. “10 days.  If it’s you, Rias, then you should be able to improve your servants. And Ruby, you better make sure your bite is worse than your bark. Do not die as a disgrace to all who possess the King Piece.” He then turned to Issei. “And don’t be a disgrace to Rias, Rias’ Pawn. Your blow is Rias’ blow.” He then finally turned to Rias. “Rias, the next time we meet will be at the Game.”

And with that, Raiser and his disappeared in a flash of light.

“…Shit.” Issei swore. The whole was quiet after that, the whole room fell into another silence. The Rating Game, the promise, both Rias’ (and by extension her peerage’s) happiness at a chance, and worry for Ruby’s life on the line. The stakes were high now, everything was on the line.

But… was it worth it?

“Well, I should be going to inform your brother, Rias-ojousama.” Grayfia said, letting go of Yang and causing her to fall to the ground while creating a Summoning Circle. “Good luck.” She said before disappearing in a flash.

“…Ruby, do you realize what you’ve done?” Blake asked, staring at her Leader in disbelief.

“I told you guys thousands of times! I know what I’m doing.” Ruby answered. “We’re giving Rias a fighting chance with us on board.”

“But if we lose, you could die!” Yang called out. Suddenly, a light spear appeared in Pancakes’ left hand.

“If that what Mistress wishes, so be it.” Pancakes said tonelessly. “I shall protect you, my King, as is my duty as your servant! Raiser and his peerage will bow before the might of Mistress’ peerage.”

“But we’re still at a lot of disadvantages, even with Issei and um, Yang’s Sacred Gears.” Weiss pointed out, wincing at the memory of Yang’s rampage.

“Yes. Raiser has a full set of members, with probably much more experience than us combined.” Kiba guessed. “And we’re still 5 members short of having a complete set. And with just ten days, we won’t have enough time to find candidates for Evil Pieces and train them to our level, assuming they have little to no combat experience. And we can’t just ask anyone in the school to become Devils. It would just be absurd and we would end up using them as cannon fodder in the end.” Issei quickly sighed in relief. If someone from the Kendo Club were to join…

Meanwhile, Murayama and Katase sneezed. They looked at each other before they got dressed, went outside and beat up two members of the Perverted Trio, wondering why Issei wasn’t there with them.

“Then we train like there’s no tomorrow!” Ruby declared. “We only have 10 days. We’re already wasting our time just standing here and talking. We have God Killing Sacred Gears among us, people from another world and strengths to improve and weaknesses to overcome. We can do this! This isn’t just for Rias. This is to prove we’re better than that bastard! Together! Isn’t that right, President Rias!?” Ruby said proudly.

Nothing.

“Uh… Prez?” Ruby said as she looked back, only to see Rias’ hair covering her eyes and breathing heavily, her whole body shaking. “Um… Rias-sensei? Are you okay?” Rias didn’t say anything. She only started walking to the door, leaving the room altogether.

But not before giving Ruby a little life lesson.

“You are a fucking idiot.”

* **SLAM!** *

Everyone just stared at the door, unable to comprehend the harsh sentence Rias said. Ruby was frozen on the spot, unable to respond or do anything really.

“…Akeno.” Kiba said, breaking the silence. Rias’ Queen just nodded and left after her King.

“…I’m gonna go.” Ruby said tonelessly. “Issei, can I sleep over at your place?”

“Yeah. Sure.” Issei replied in the same tone. Everyone else shrugged and left the clubroom, guessing that all club activities were cancelled for today, for strategizing or otherwise.

Meanwhile, Rias stomped outside and as far away from the old school building as she could, desperately tried to restrain herself from cursing out loud. She gave up and decided to just slam her forehead against a wall, creating several craters in it. “I am a fucking idiot!” Rias shouted to herself.

“Ara ara, that can’t be good for finals Buchou.” Akeno joked, an attempt to lighten the mood. This surprised Rias, but it didn’t improve her mood. Akeno’s face then turned into a more concerned expression. “Rias, what’s wrong?”

“What’s _wrong_!?” Rias exclaimed. “What’s wrong is that it isn’t worth it anymore!”

“What’s not worth it?” Akeno asked.

“Team RWBY!” Rias yelled out in response. “I don’t even think it’s worth it in the first place anymore! I can’t do this anymore! I need to tell them. They need to know, dammit!”

“Buchou, stay calm.” Akeno said in a worried tone, as she watched her King tear herself apart.

“Don’t you tell me to stay calm, Akeno!” Rias growled. “Ruby is ready to kill herself just for the happiness I don’t deserve! I basically had them killed! You know how that feels!? It hurts! It hurts so much that every time I look at even one of them, smiling at me, laughing, telling me I’m their friend…” Rias clutched her heart as tears started flowing out of her eyes. “I can’t do this anymore Akeno! The guilt is gonna kill me, and I rather not have Ruby and her friends in the crossfire! The Rating Game is going to be just between my peerage and Raiser’s. No RWBY. No Pancakes. No… androids with souls.” Rias then muttered to herself. “Still have no idea how that worked…” The Queen just sighed at her King.

“Good to see your heart return.” Akeno muttered. “To… be honest, even if we are Devils, what you did is just…” Akeno then shook her head in shame. “That wasn’t you, Rias.”

“I know that now!” Rias shouted out before taking some deep breaths. “…Maybe it would best if I just married him. See if he’ll let Ruby live if I just give up before it even begins.”

She was then promptly slapped in the face.

“You’re being selfish, Buchou.” Akeno said as Rias tried to recover from the shock of the slap. “Just because you don’t want anyone to die for you, doesn’t mean we can’t fight for you.”

“But if we go through with the Rating Game…” Rias whispered out.

“Then we make sure we win.” Akeno said as she helped her King up, cleaning and straightening her clothes. “Now wipe those tears and stand up straight. You’re a Gremory. The Princess of Destruction. And one of my best friends. Now shut up, stop crying and start being Rias the King again.” Rias sniffled before shaking her head.

“I still don’t want Ruby or her peerage involved in this.” Rias said softly. “And I’m gonna make sure we can win without them. I’m gonna tell them.” But, then she sighed sadly. “After the Rating Game.”

“So you still need their help.” Akeno said with a frown.

“I don’t mean that. I still don’t want them in the Rating Game.” Rias explained. “I’m going to try and get them to drop out. It’s just-“ Rias then sighed. “Ugh, I’m just making excuses.”

“I’m gonna push you to tell them, Buchou.” Akeno said. “But you have to tell them soon, or else I will. Starting with Yang.” Both shivered at the memory of Berserk Yang.

“Well, I’m going to die either way.” Rias joked weakly. “I don’t have anything to lose. So, let’s make sure I go out with a bang.”

“Don’t you mean a ‘Yang’?” Akeno asked with a smile, causing Rias to groan.

“You’ve been hanging out with Yang too much, haven’t you?” Rias chuckled out before frowning a little. “But in all seriousness, Yang’s going to kill me, huh.” Akeno nodded at this. “Okay, we only have 10 days, so what are we waiting for? Let’s see if we can teach Raiser a lesson or two. Shall we?”

“We shall.” Akeno said as they started walking back into the building. “What will lesson one be?” Rias only smirked at that.

“Don’t fuck with Rias Gremory.”

(Hyoudou Residence)

“…We’re gonna die, aren’t we?” Issei said pessimistically, causing Ruby to throw a pillow at his face. They were both lying down, with Issei on his bed and Ruby on a futon, staring up at the ceiling and replaying the meeting with Raiser in their heads. “Hey! Why are you even here anyway? Again?”

“I dunno. I guess I just wanted to talk.” Ruby muttered. “...Was it really a bad idea?”

“Hm?” Issei asked.

“For me and my friends to join the Rating Game.” Ruby clarified. “I know I should’ve done something else to get into the Games but…”

“I don’t think you would’ve.” Issei interrupted. “You’d probably be killed if you broke into the arena. Anyway, this is for Buchou and her happiness. And to show that bastard you’re not weak.”

“Hey, you’re not weak either.” Ruby said. “You can kill God.”

“For some reason I doubt that.” Issei muttered as he stared at his hand, summoning his Sacred Gear. “I mean, didn’t you hear what Raiser said about me?” Ruby shook her head. “No one has killed a God or whatever this Maou thing ever, in history. Meaning me and whoever wielded this thing were weak. ‘Pearl before Swine’. Dammit, the bastard is even living my dream!” Issei growled in frustration.

“Well, maybe why no one killed a god is because it’s stupid!” Ruby pointed out. “You can’t just kill a god. You _can_ kill a god, but it doesn’t mean you have to. Who knows what those other guys have done with that kind of power. They couldn’t easily defeated people just as powerful, if not more. And it’s not like Raiser can kill a god.” Ruby said before pausing in thought. “He can’t kill a god, right?”

“I’ll ask Buchou as soon as I can.” Issei said before he got up. “I’m gonna go take a bath.”

“Alright. I’ll go after you.” Ruby replied as she continued to stare up at the ceiling, letting her mind wander. “What am I gonna do?” Ruby groaned as she put her pillow over her face. “Why the Hell did I say that!? Kill myself at the engagement party!? What am I gonna do if we actually lose? He has a full peerage behind him and my peerage is still just getting used to being Devils.” She then frowned a little. “Well… there was that… thing that broke…” Ruby quickly shook her head before she even finished the sentence. “No. No, you are not going to win that way, Ruby Rose. There has to be a better way. I can’t just do that. Maybe I can break the arrangement before the Rating Games? No, that’ll never work. Take myself in Rias’ place?” Ruby suggested before having a disgusted expression on her face. “No. Just… no. What if…”

“O-Otou-san~! W-We are going to have a grandchild~!” Ruby’s train of thought was interrupted by Issei’s mother, seeing her rush down the hall since the Pawn left his door open. Then, Issei’s mother took a couple steps back and saw Ruby. “No, wait! Grandchildren! We’re having grandchildren! OUR LEGACY WILL NOT DIE!” Issei’s mother cheered out, tears running down her face before hearing the door slam and the sounds of a car starting. Ruby just blushed at this.

“I miss dad…” Ruby muttered to herself. Next thing she knew, Issei walked back into the room, closed his door and slid down it all while covering his face with his hands.

Giving Ruby a nice view of his penis.

(The Next Day!)

When morning arrived, Ruby, Asia and Issei were all in the middle of Issei’s bedroom, sitting in a seiza posture. It should be noted that Issei was absolutely covered in cuts, bruises, bumps and bandages and was holding an icepack on his crotch. Asia was healing him, wondering why Issei was hurt and why a baby girl was crying in his bedroom last night. Ruby told her not to worry over breakfast (shouting over Issei’s crying parents) but Asia was still concerned. “Now girls, do you have any idea why you are here today?” Issei spoke up. Asia just shook her head.

“You told me to help you before I left.” Ruby said flat out. “You didn’t even tell me what I’m helping out with.”

“Well, it’s to teach Asia-san here about men.” Issei replied.

“Men?” Asia repeated with a confused look on her face, wondering why Issei was teaching this sort of subject.

“But we kinda need to train for the Rating Games and-” Ruby started before Issei interrupted her.

“Ruby, if we do not teach Asia about the dangers of men, she will be taken advantage of.” Issei whispered to her, not wanting to freak out the former nun. “She might be robbed. Or kidnapped. Or robbed, kidnapped and ra-“

“Alright! Alright! For Asia…” Ruby exclaimed before sighing.

“Okay, let Dangers of the Opposite Sex 101 class begin!” Issei proudly declared.

“Brought to you by Professor Ruby and Sensei Issei.” Ruby deadpanned. “…Those sound like DJ names now that I think about it.”

“Okay, listen up, Asia-san.” Issei said. Asia nodded, getting out a notepad and pencil. Ruby wondered why the former nun would have that on her.

“Yes, Issei-san.” Asia said with a cute determined look on a face.

“First off, guys are wolves. You will be eaten if you approach them carelessly.” Issei informed.

“Well, not all guys.” Ruby quickly clarified. “There are some men that are genuinely nice. Unless they cheat on you with another woman who gets pregnant with their kid and you start trying to act nice and congratulate them but on the inside you want to snap their neck for betraying you because you were gone for SIX MONTHS FOR SAVING THE GALAXY!” Ruby ranted, breathing heavily afterwards. Issei and Asia just stared the red cloaked girl, looked at each other, before looking back at Ruby with concern.

“Um… do you wanna talk about it?” Issei asked.

“Sorry, I’m having Universal Reaction flashbacks…” Ruby said before spacing out a little. Issei decided to just wait for Ruby to come back to Earth before they returned to Asia.

“Erm, so men are werewolves?” Asia questioned innocently. “That is scary… I sure won’t be able to walk outside during the full moon then...”

“Um… she half gets it… I guess.” Ruby said with a small chuckled, while Issei groaned quietly. “Why are you teaching Asia about this stuff, anyway?” Issei blushed slightly at that as he remembered last night.

“Well, something… happened last night that made me realize Asia is just too innocent for her own good.” Issei explained. “I’m probably the first guy her age she ever talked to. Not every person out there is a saint so I promised myself that I would teach her about this. But then again, it would’ve been a better idea just to let you handle it, now that I think about it…”

“It shouldn’t that bad.” Ruby said.

“My parents went out in the middle of the night to buy baby clothes and toys and started talking about shotgun weddings.” Issei deadpanned. “For all of us.”

“…Your parents are nutjobs.”

“My entire family is worthless.” Issei muttered with a groan. “Anyway, Asia-san. That’s not it, Asia. Guy’s around my age… guys in their teens are very interested in girls. It’s not an exaggeration if I were to say that they are always thinking about girls. Actually, we think about naughty stuff every few seconds.”

“No, I think that’s your group.” Ruby pointed out.

“If there are days when we see a panty shot, then that will be a day to celebrate for us.” Issei continued, his left eye twitching a little.

“But there are some guys who are uncomfortable or disgusted by panty shots.” Ruby spoke up. “Everyone has standards after all.”

“Panty… shots…?” Asia mumbled to herself, looking a bit confused.

“Panty shots are a phenomenon where we get a glimpse of girl’s panties from under their skirt.” Issei explained. “Which happens frequently in Japan.”

“Yeah, and that’s why you wear shorts under your skirt any time you use them.” Ruby said before mumbling to herself. “Though, the skirts here are too freaking short to get them pass school policy…”

“Do you also think about naughty stuff as well, Issei-san?” Asia shyly asked as she raised her hand.

“Yeah, of course. I’m also perverted.” Issei replied proudly.

“This guy right here is the most perverted person I’ve ever met.” Ruby added in as she hooked her arm around Issei’s neck. “But that’s not necessarily a good thing.” Ruby said sweetly as Issei realized her grasp on his neck was starting to tighten. “But Issei wouldn’t even dare to hurt you. C’mon Asia, you should know that already.”

“I do…” Asia said with a nod, a carefree smile on her face. Ruby and Issei’s heart just melted at the sight.

“Y-Yeah, like Ruby said I’m perverted but I’m not _that_ perverted.” Issei continued as he got Ruby’s arm off his neck. “There are people out there who are too perverted for their own good. Guys like that are really scary. That’s why those guys drag pure girls like you into a dark place and do something very bad.”

“Something very bad?” Asia repeated as she tilted her head adorably.

“W-Well, they… do inappropriate things.” Ruby said with a small wince.

“You mean like… picking their nose!?” Asia gasped.

“No!” Issei called out. “T-They touch your body! Then they touch your body again! Then again they touch your body! And then they touch you in your special zone! In other words they do indecent actions towards girls!”

“Really perverted guys will take advantage of you Asia.” Ruby said. “So it’s dangerous to go alone, take me! Or Issei! But preferably me. And by that I mean it’s not a good idea to be alone at night, any night, especially if there’s no one else around.”

“It’s dangerous to go alone…” Asia muttered before smiling, having a certain… glow around her. “Then I’ll take Ruby-san and Issei-san with me. After all, when I’m in danger Issei-san, Ruby-san or both of you will save me.”

Ruby couldn’t believe there was anyone in Remnant, and possibly Earth, to be cuter or more adorable than baby kitten videos. Yet, here she was, right in front of her.

Issei and Ruby shook their heads. They would not let Asia’s adorableness stop them from teaching the Bishop of Rias the importance of personal safety and awareness! Ruby coughed before shaking her head.

“You’re not getting it. We can’t always be with you. You have to increase your awareness of the outside world. You’re so trusting that it worries me.” Ruby said.

“You’re worried about me?” Asia asked.

“Worried and scared.” Issei answered. “If some guys do something to you when me or Ruby aren’t looking, then we might kill those guys.”

“But not before making them all suffer…” Ruby growled, her eyes flashing red and faintly glowing blue before fading away. Neither Issei nor Asia noticed, but there was a significant drop in temperature in the room for one second before returning to normal.

“We’re just worried about you Asia.” Issei said seriously and sincerely.

“What about Prez?” Ruby whispered to the pervert as Asia started to think about their words.

“Of course I’ll protect Buchou with all I have, but it doesn’t mean I can’t protect Asia as well.” Issei replied. “I, Issei Hyoudou, need to protect Asia Argento for the rest of my life. Obviously, I will also protect Buchou, but protecting Asia may be similar yet a bit different. Plus, aren’t you technically my King as well? I’ll protect you too, Ruby. You and Asia are kinda like the sisters I never had.”

“Hey, Rias and I aren’t exactly defenseless.” Ruby said with smile, softly punching Issei in the arm. “But thanks. Same goes for me. You’re like the little perverted brother I kinda wish I wasn’t related to but kinda glad I am.”

“Didn’t you tell me you’re fifteen…” Issei groaned before he and Ruby laughed.

“Yeah, but even when I’m 30, dad still won’t let me date.” Ruby joked before sighing sadly. She really missed her father. She wondered how long she could hide the fact she was no longer human anymore.

“…I understand.” Asia spoke up after some time thinking, getting Ruby and Issei’s attentions back to her. “I will definitely not do anything that would trouble you guys. That’s why, please teach me a more.”

“Yeah, I know. But I think it’s better to be taught by a girl rather than a person of the opposite sex like me.” Issei pointed out before turning to Ruby and standing up. “I think I’ll leave the rest to you. I will also talk to Buchou and Akeno-san, so just get used to the current lifestyle bit by bit.”

“Hey, you’re not leaving _Onii-chan_.” Ruby said playfully as she pulled Issei back down. “Asia said both of us have to teach her, isn’t that right?” Asia nodded at that. “See?”

“Alright.” Issei said with a little sigh, but didn’t seem at all bother by it. “I actually have no idea what else to talk about. So, Asia, do you have any questions?” Asia started thinking about what she wanted to ask, before blushing as she realized there was a question that had been lingering in her mind since last night.

“U-Umm… Issei-san, there’s o-one question I w-wa-want to ask y-you.” Asia stuttered out, her face bright red which confused both Ruby and Issei. “I-If the bath incident… happened with Buchou-san… or even Ruby-san… instead of me… would you have had a bath with them…?”

Suddenly, mental glass shattered in their heads.

“WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED LAST NIGHT!?” Ruby yelled at the cowering Issei, who was also blushing a shade of red that matched Ruby’s cloak.

“IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! I SWEAR!” Issei cried back.

“Well, if it isn’t I’ll just have to-“ Ruby started as she pulled out Crescent Rose, before being interrupted by Asia.

“I-I-It w-w-was an h-ho-honest mi-m-m-mistake!” Asia quickly said, not wanting the Red Reaper to punish the Boosted Gear Wielder. “I heard that in Japan, that there is the thing called having a bath together… that you get to know each other by having a bath together… and I-I was told… to do this with someone I want to form a special relationship with… so I was wandering if he wanted to f-form this special bond with me, Buchou-san or Ruby-san. I-I was fine with Issei-san having a bath with me!”

“Why does everyone think we like each other!?” Ruby exclaimed before sighing. “Asia, I don’t like Issei in a romantic way. But you really should know that a woman shouldn’t just-“

“Can I wash your oppai, Buchou!?” Issei called out, completely stopping Ruby’s sentence. From the drool and dreamy look, he was day-dreaming. Ruby quickly punched him in the face, bringing him back into reality. “Huh!? What!? Ow!”

“Dude! Really!?” Ruby yelled at Issei’s confused face.

“So that’s it, isn’t it?” Asia sniffled out. She looked close to tears. “Then it’s okay if it’s Buchou-san?”

“No. Wait a minute, I-“ Issei tried to explain himself, but was unable to due to Asia’s increasingly louder sobbing.

“It’s okay. I know. I knew about it.” Asia sobbed out, tears flowing down her cheek. “I already knew about it. But still… but still… WWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

“Ah!” Ruby exclaimed in surprised. Asia was now crying, her eyes creating a waterfall of tears, like a pipe that sprung a giant leak and soaking Issei’s floor.

“Oh shit!” Issei swore. Ruby tried to comfort Asia while Issei just freaked out, unable to figure out what to do about the situation.

“Geez, what are you three doing, early in the morning?” Everyone stopped what they were doing when they heard a familiar voice. They all turned around and saw Rias with her head in her hand, sighing.

“Uh… ‘sup Prez.” Ruby squeaked out.

“Buchou-san!” Asia called out as she stood up and bowed.

“B-Buchou…” Issei muttered, staring at his King’s physique and clothing.

“A lover’s quarrel in the morning? You three are so close like always.” Rias teased, causing the “lovers” to blush heavily.

“W-Why…” Ruby groaned out, fidgeting on the spot. “S-S-So, Prez, why are y-you here?”

“No time.” Rias answered. “Issei. Asia. Let’s go. Get ready for lodging. Ruby, we’ll swing by your apartment on the way so you can pack and pick up your peerage.”

“W-Wait? What? Lodging?” Issei said, now confused.

“What do you mean, Prez?” Ruby asked. Rias only smirked at her fellow and apprentice.

“We are going to the mountains to train.”


	13. World of Remnant Reborn 1

_So, where to begin?_

_Okay, I know. If you are reading this, I’m either dead or I gave this to you or a combination of the two. If I trust you with this, you must be very important or something. If I’m dead however and you found this either where I lived or on my corpse, well you’re going to have to use the following information to achieve my goal. However, if you killed me and you’re reading this, fuck you. This book has a special ritual I performed on it that will set you on fire by the time you have finished reading this sentence._

_If you find all of this unnecessary, I’m just covering bases. Feel free to skip to the good stuff._

_Well, I guess I should start this thing if you aren’t dead by now. First thing I have to state; I am not from this world. I am from a world known as Remnant. It would be a nice place to visit if it wasn’t for all the monsters trying to kill everyone, the racism and the crappy tap water. There’s actually a reason for that, but that’s for later. Now, I can hear you saying, “How the Hell did you end up on Earth? Are you an alien? Should I start preparing for an invasion?” The answer to that is very simple._

_…Actually, it might be a tad more complicated._

_Maybe I should start out with explaining how I came here. You see, there’s this… tear in… space, I guess I should call it. Should be located in some place called the Bermuda Triangle and if you’re good at history, yes, those disappearances in that area can be simply explained as people ending in Remnant without even noticing and not returning. They’re more than likely dead since, well, no one has known about Earth before the discovery of the tear on our end. The tear can’t be seen, it’s just… there. Which will be explained later if everything goes well. For me. If I’m not dead._

_Again, if you managed to read this far after you killed me, you may want to look at your crotch. There is no guarantee you will like it._

_Anyway, back on topic. Earth and Remnant are two separate planets. We can’t exactly locate where either Earth or Remnant is, we could be in a different galaxy for all we know, but the tear allows us to easily traverse from Remnant to Earth and vice versa. The Kingdoms in Remnant are making sure it’s still a secret to Earth until they’re sure they can make contact with Earth’s government. Unless you’re from Remnant, no way in Hell you’re gonna go through that tear. And since I’m talking about our worlds, I guess we should talk about the next topic: Remnant itself._

_Simply put, if you have found out **anything** about Remnant before, somehow, be prepared to wipe that out of your memory. You know the saying, “History is written by the victor”? Well, it’s a bit different on Remnant._

_Remnant’s history was written by people who wanted to_ forget.

_Humans there… weren’t originally born human. Well, most. Hell, I’m going down my family line right now and I have reason to believe that my ancestors may have been Devils._

_Oh, right. Devils, Fallen Angels, actual Angels, all those fun stories about gods and other deities, yeah, they’re real. I guess I should’ve mentioned that earlier. Be very glad there’s a Heaven, or be very worried that there’s a Hell. Assuming you’re human with little to no knowledge about religion and legends of course. I’m going to treat you as a human born from Earth. Sorry if you’re a Faunus or Youkai. Don’t worry about it if you don’t know what that is._

_Anyway, Remnant’s creation isn’t like the kids stories or the textbooks._

_You see, back in the days of the Great War (I think that’s what it’s called) between the Fallen, Angels and Devils (if you aren’t aware of this, pick up a Bible) there was… a lot of death. Now, this war lasted a very long time. Like, so long there was no end in sight. I am aware there is some sort of stalemate between the factions now, but… the people who essentially left couldn’t fathom the idea that there would be any sort of peace in the future. Not everyone was willing to sacrifice their lives for an endless war; they had enough of the pointless death, or were just wanting to start again. These people would eventually come together and form a group called “The Remnants of Peace”, essentially a large tribe wanting to escape violence and war in order to live in peace. They were made up of a lot of people from all walks of life. Humans who ended up involved in the war, Devil, Fallen, Angels, Youkai. Hell, even an entire Pillar Family from Hell joined up. Though, considering they were down to, like, 3 people, it was understandable. Eventually, they met uif Gpshpuufo Mpohjovt, boe nz gpsnfs Tbdsfe Hfbs, boe Fwjm Esbhpo. Dvssfoumz lopxo bt Zboh Yjbp Mpoh._

_Ifmm’t Esbhpo._

_If you can’t read that, it’s in a language you probably will never understand. Plus, it would be a lot better if you didn’t know. That… thing was more brutal and violent than the Crescent Circle Dragon. No wonder it got the title…_

_Ugh, but anyway, Zboh was actually very regretful of its life, causing so much death that it would erase itself from history in hopes of forgetting. It wanted to be forgotten, and dead. But, its last moments, it travelled with the Remnants of Peace to the Bermuda Triangle, slashed open that tear I talked about earlier, entered it and died._

_That would create the land of Remnant._

_It was a very big creature._

_How the Hell it managed to not kill everyone in a single step is a surprise. But enough of that, it should be saved for another time. Now, I need to talk about my mission in case you want to skim through this._

_You see, I’m currently observing two groups right now. One called the Occult Research Club and another called… actually, they really shouldn’t be called Team RWBY since there are more members now so… let’s go with Team Rebirth for now. That sounds good, right? Anyway, they are all Devils and… well, they’ve done a lot in the past few weeks. I’ll give you a quick rundown of a few key people and some notes._

**_Rias Gremory  
_ ** _Heiress of the one of the Pillar Families (which I should write about sooner or later) and King of the Occult Research Peerage (The King part will also be explained later. God, there’s so much information I need to go over.) Also known as the Crimson Ruin Princess, she’s smart, kind, compassionate but had a lapse in that personality, more than likely out of desperation from stopping her marriage which she is thoroughly regretting at the time of writing. She deeply cares for her apprentice and Pawn despite it and is going to make it up to them, even if it kills her. Possibly has feelings for her Pawn. She is very powerful thanks to her bloodline so approach with caution._

**_Blake Belladonna  
_ ** _Mysterious. Former member of a terrorist organization looking to redeem herself. Knight of the Rebirth Peerage. Recently fully awakened her Nekomata side and still very much getting used to it. Very obvious she’s a cat even before awakening it however. Bows aren’t gonna hide those ears when the rest of your outfit screams “Cat”. Other than that, approach with caution. She… may have some mental issues. No big deal._

**_Weiss Schnee  
_ ** _One of the Bishops of the Rebirth Peerage and Heiress of a very powerful company. Daddy issues! Inferiority or superiority complex? Kinda confused which one is which. Eh, either way, she has not accepted her life as a Devil despite being one for several weeks. Caught her in various libraries looking up rituals and stuff in her free time despite being told there wasn’t a way. Obviously, she hadn’t found a copy of Volume 4 and I doubt she ever will since I haven’t found it yet. God forbid it’s a drink coaster by now. Though, her family’s white hair might be a sign that her heritage may be that of a Valkyrie. Maybe. Not sure, further research is needed before conclusion._

**_Ruby Rose  
_ ** _The King of the Rebirth Peerage. Prodigy. Apprentice of Rias Gremory. Approach with extreme caution. Her gaining the King Piece before being ready caused a few… side effects. Nonetheless, she’s bubbly and sweet most of the time and a decent leader. Still has a lot to learn. Plus… she has a Valefor King Piece, allowing her access to the Power of Suffering, a power of Valefor Kings see as a curse. Plus, she wields one of the most dangerous weapons on the planet. So… don’t die if you encounter her. She won’t kill you, but if she isn’t in the mood, she’ll make you suffer._

**_Issei Hyoudou  
_ ** _Friend of Ruby Rose. Pawn of the Occult Research Peerage. Total fucking pervert. If you’re a girl, avoid physical contact but don’t be afraid to be his friend. He’s a nice guy despite his interests in breasts. He also has a thing that could kill gods but he isn’t exactly ready to punch Him in nuts just yet. He will punch **you** in the nuts/ovaries should you threaten his friends. He certainly has the potential to become a legend, but he’s kinda a pushover right now._

_There are more but I either don’t have the necessary information to create a real profile or aren’t worth mentioning. At worst, it’s best if you didn’t know. Ugh, there’s still so much to cover so what’s next? Um… Oh, I guess have to explain this real quick._

_You see, Remnant has… something, in the air that enhances the strength of Aura (which I will talk about later…), making stronger than it should be. Of course, Earth doesn’t have that. But, here’s the thing. Only those with insufficient training in Aura or under age twenty are affected. Fully trained Huntsmen and Huntresses (Monster Hunters) aren’t affected so they can probably take on some serious threats. It has to do something with Auras not being at their fullest potential during those years, so if you are actually a Remnant native, you may want to work on dodging more. There’s also something about tainted or unholy energy that affects it, possibly originating from the origin of Aura. It’s all just a theory however as I’m currently researching Aura types, which may affect what one is strong against and what they’re weak against._

_Now, let’s move onto a very… personal topic. You need to respect my wishes if you found this on my corpse._

_You see… in my teenage years I_

“Aw… you have a little doggie… can I pet him? Who’s a good boy? You are! Yes, you are!”

“Glad you like him, Prez. ‘Cause we need to bring him with us. We don’t know anyone we can let take care of Zwei.”

“Mistress, I have finished packing everyone’s personal belongings and necessary items for the trip.”

*CHOMP!*

“And it seems Zwei-dono is enjoying my body once again.”

“Please, rephrase that Pancakes!”

“Rephrase what, Yang-sama? I am simply stating facts.”

“Well, state your facts with different words!”

“Yes Yang-sama. It appears Zwei-dono is eating my special place. It feels… pleasant.”

“WHY ARE YOU CALLING IT YOUR SPECIAL PLACE!?”

“Well, Weiss-sama, I do not know what to call the area Zwei-dono is eating.”

“Just call it your wings!”

“But Yang-sama told me not to call it a G-spot anymore. That is the definition of the area, is it not?”

“Knight Blake, what is a G-spot?”

“E-Er-Er… U-Uh-Um… I’ll tell you when you’re ready, Penny.”

“But I am always ready! Now, Knight Blake, do you have a G-spot?”

“Alright, everyone! We’re leaving!” Ruby announced.

“Oh fuck!” Raven swore before grabbing her already packed bags, quickly dressed into her combat outfit and put on her mask. After making sure no one was in the hallway, she walked out of the apartment and started following the Devils stealthily.

Eh, history could wait a little while.


	14. A Simple Training Session

“You know, I was expecting a log cabin in the woods, or some camp site, maybe even a tree house.” Yang mumbled to herself. “Never expected a freaking mansion.”

“It’s more like something akin to a summer home more than anything else.” Rias pointed out as the mansion started to come into view.

“Meh, I’ve seen bigger.” Blake and Weiss said in unison. Weiss’ eyes widened before looking at Blake in disbelief. Blake realized what she just said and blushed.

“Er. I mean, I broke into some really big mansions in my day and…” Blake tried to explain.

“Ruby-sama, why is Yang-sama carrying our peerage’s luggage?” Pancakes inquired. “I am more than capable of being a ‘pack mule.’ I assume the term ‘pack mule’ is used in the correct context.”

“Really wish you didn’t call me that, Yang.” Issei wheezed out. They were currently hiking in the mountains, making their way to their home for the next ten days. They used a Summoning Circle to teleport to the mountain, but they still needed to hike the rest of the way, which wasn’t great considering no one had time to change into anything other than their school uniform. “And why am I carrying mine, Buchou’s and Akeno-san’s bags all by myself!? Seriously, it can’t just be clothes in there!”

“As I said before Issei. You need all the training you can get.” Rias reminded her Pawn, while sitting on top of her luggage. “And it’s more than just clothes. It’s books, training equipment and various other items that are necessary if we want to defeat Raiser. Now, hurry Issei. We’re burning daylight.”

“And quit complaining.” Yang said. “We still have a long way to go. If you’re gonna be like this the whole way, I will shove a sock in your mouth. It’s not a lot.”

“Says the girl with super strength before even becoming a Devil.” Issei deadpanned quietly.

“…I’ll help as well.” Asia spoke up, having had enough of seeing Issei struggling to carry the large amount of luggage.

“It’s okay, since Issei won’t be able to get stronger if he can’t do this much.” Rias told her Bishop.

“Still, it’s such a nice day.” Ruby said, wearing a backpack with Zwei riding in it. “It would be nice to come here without anything else bothering us.” Rias winced while Akeno looked up and glared.

‘Tell them!’ Akeno’s eyes yelled out.

‘I will!’ Rias’ eyes called back.

‘When?’ Akeno communicated non-verbally as she rolled her eyes.

‘I don’t know. Just… I need to prepare a will and STOP MAKING UP EXCUSES YOU IDIOT!’ Rias yelled mentally at herself. Pancakes noticed Rias struggling not to punch herself in the face. Pancakes made a mental note to ask if she required assistance.

“Buchou, Rose-chan, Penny-san and I gathered some herbs. Let’s use it for the meal tonight.” Kiba said as he and Penny caught up to the group.

“These look pretty rare.” Blake noted. “I think a few of these can be used in tea. Where did you find it?”

“Well, Knight Blake…” Penny started as she, Kiba and Blake walked past Issei, who was starting to slow down.

“Come on, Issei! You’re gonna be left behind at this rate!” Ruby called out.

“I’m trying my hardest, dammit!” Issei called back.

“…See you later.” Koneko said as she walked past Issei, carrying more luggage than him, though not as much as Yang.

“Oh, I am not going to be left behind! Uoryaaaaaa!” Issei cried out with a determined expression on his face, speeding up and racing ahead of everyone, with Rias trying to stay sitting on top of the pile of bags Issei had to carry.

“What the-!? Just a second ago he was barely keeping up!” Yang exclaimed.

“Never underestimate the determination of a pervert.” Ruby said before deciding to catch up with Issei. Everyone else just looked at each other before shrugging and running the rest of the way to the Gremory Clan mansion.

(Gremory Mansion)

“Yep, still seen bigger…” Weiss and Blake breathed out as everyone arrived at the mansion doorstep. Blake, again, blushed as she realized what she just said and hoped nobody heard it.

“You know, you’d think this place would be more… dilapidated.” Yang muttered as she stared at the wooden mansion.

“Usually, it is blended in with the scenery using demonic-powers, but it has appeared since we will be using it.” Rias explained as she jumped off the pile of bags, after Issei collapsed under its weight when they all went inside.

“Well, it’s gonna be home for the next couple of days so we may as well settle down.” Ruby said as she let Zwei out of her backpack. As soon as Zwei got out, he looked at Koneko and tilted his head. Said Rook fought down all her urges not to run away.

“Well, we should get changed.” Blake suggested, also wanting to get away from the corgi.

“Blake’s right. These clothes will only just get in the way.” Rias said. “Issei. Kiba. You two change down here while everyone else will change upstairs, understand?”

“Of course Buchou.” Kiba replied.

“Help…” Issei squeaked out as Ruby and Asia were freeing him from the pile of bags he was currently burried under. After he was freed, the women went upstairs to get changed.

“You _really_ think we should help Rias?” Yang whispered as they walked upstairs. “Or… that Rias even _wants_ our help? She didn’t really seem all that excited when you did that, uh... bet.” Ruby stopped, eyes downcast.

“It’s not like I haven’t thought about Prez’s words… and that I could die soon.” Ruby replied softly. “But like I said before a thousand times, I can’t just stand by and watch. Not when someone’s happiness is at stake.”

“Well sometimes you need to.” Rias appeared, interrupting. “You might get in the way.”

“I won’t.” Ruby said with a determined look on her face.

“What makes you think that?” Rias retorted. “You’re the youngest out of all of us, and you barely can even control your own power.”

“That’s why you’re training me in the first place!” Ruby called out. “Why don’t you want me in the Rating Game, anyway!? I can defend myself!”

“But can you defend yourself against a High-Class Devil?” Rias challenged. Ruby wasn’t sure herself if she could stand against Raiser, but damn all if she wasn’t about to try!

“W-Well… neither can you!” Ruby exclaimed. “You just let everyone else do the fighting!”

“Just because I don’t fight often doesn’t mean I can’t fight!” Rias said, voice rising. “But at least I can defend myself against Fallen Angels without getting myself killed!” Ruby’s eye twitched at that. “At least I _earned_ my King Piece!” Ruby then started shaking as she clenched her hand into a fist. “At least I didn’t let my friends die!”

“ **SHUT UP!** ” Ruby yelled out, her eyes turning red as a cyan-coloured energy flared around her body. The energy she was emitting was choking everyone inside the mansion as the girls stumbled back. “ **SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!** ”

“Wh-What’s happening!?” Yang exclaimed as she covered her eyes. “Ruby!? STOP!”

“Ruby! Calm down!” Rias called out, falling onto her rear.

“Why should I!?” Ruby growled, tears running down her face, just on the edge of letting her power take control. “You tried to stop me from helping Asia! You keep telling me I’m not ready! You keep stopping me left and right and its _pissing me off!_ So, do tell, Rias- _sensei!_ Why shouldn’t I kill you _right now!?”_

“Because this isn’t YOU!” Rias shouted out. And, just as fast as it activated, Ruby’s power shut down.

“H-Huh?” Ruby squeaked out before collapsing onto her knees. Yang quickly ran up and hugged her sister.

“I’m… I’m sorry Ruby. It was just… I’m sorry.” Rias apologized as she slowly stood up.

“Wh-What just happened!?” Ruby cried out. “What was I doing!? What was I thinking!?”

“Ruby-san! Something’s wrong with Pan-san!” Asia exclaimed. Everyone turned Pancakes, who was writhing on the floor, screaming.

“NO! STOP! NOT AGAIN!” Raynare yelled out, her eyes filled with fear. “PLEASE! NO MORE! STOP!”

“What in the…” Akeno muttered as she stared at the tortured Fallen Angel.

“P-Pancakes…” Ruby said softly as she crouched down and tried to calm her down. “Pancakes, it’s ok-“

“No!” Raynare said in horror as she started to crawl away from Ruby. “No. No! GET AWAY FROM ME! Please, don’t go… near…” Raynare then drifted off as her eyes became dull again. “Hm? What is this?” Pancakes muttered tonelessly to herself as she felt something wet on her cheek. “Is there a leak in the ceiling?” She then realized everyone, even the boys who came up to see what all the commotion was about, were staring at her. “Is there something troubling you about me you wish to discuss?” Pancakes asked as she tilted her head. Everyone just continued to stare at her before looking at Ruby, who was shivering on the spot.

“…We should probably start training.” Yang suggested. It was met various noises that resembled agreement.

**(Session 1: Ruby: The Power of Suffering with Rias)**

“Okay, I’ve been putting it off for a while, but I think it’s time for you to control your… unique power.” Rias said. Ruby nodded meekly, now wanting to control her power more than ever. They were currently in a clear area, with Ruby in her battle outfit while Rias was in a school tracksuit. “Okay, now, I don’t fully understand it, but from what I can tell your power draws from others suffering, or at least the people you’re close to. You know, physical and mental trauma. You draw power from them, including me.”

“WHAT!?” Ruby exclaimed. “What kind of power is that!?”

“ _That_ is the Power of Suffering.” Rias muttered. “Though, from what I found out, it shouldn’t affect your personality at all.”

“Then what happened!?” Ruby shouted out. “I… I don’t wanna lose control again! I-I… I don’t want another Pancakes...” Ruby sniffled.

“And that’s why we’re here.” Rias reassured, putting a hand on her apprentices shoulder. “Now, I don’t know how I can help you directly, but its probably safe to assume it’s similar to the Power of Destruction since, well, Destruction and Suffering go hand in hand.” Rias said, stepping back and putting her hands on her hips.  “Now, our first training session will be focusing on how to channel this energy without... flipping out. Close your eyes.” Ruby did so. “Let your demonic energy flow through you. Take deep breaths.” Ruby concentrated. Suddenly, her energy started to flare around her. “No, not like that. You’re just letting it out wildly. Try and focus it within yourself.”

“Ugh, this isn’t working.” Ruby said she dispersed her energy.

“Yeah, I admit, I have no idea what I’m doing.” Rias admitted as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “My brother might be better at teaching this kind of thing, but I doubt he’ll teach you.”

“Well, there has to be something…” Ruby muttered to herself as both Kings started thinking. Rias snapped her fingers.

“Maybe we need to stress you out.” Rias suggested. “Of all the times you tapped into the Power of Suffering, you were under an immense amount of stress. Maybe if we stress you out, we can figure out how you can control it.”

“B-But… I-I’ll…” Ruby stuttered out, hugging herself protectively as she shivered on the spot. “I might… I can’t…”

Rias took a deep breath, and let it out as her face hardened. “If you don’t control this soon, you will hurt someone.” Rias stated sternly. “Or at the very least break them. Now.” Ruby’s eyes widened before diving out of the way of a large ball of Devil energy sent by her mentor. “Come at me like you want to kill me! Because I won’t show mercy!”

“You didn’t tell me to bring Crescent Rose!” Ruby exclaimed as she jumped back.

“The whole point of this is to stress you out!” Rias said with a smirk as she went into a battle stance. “Also, your sister told me you aren’t very good without your scythe! Now, let’s see if we can’t correct that!” Ruby groaned before charging at Rias. Rias quickly dodged a right hook before sweeping Ruby’s legs, causing the Red Reaper to land flat on her back. Before Ruby could recover, Rias picked her up into the air by her collar with her left hand and placed her right hand on Ruby’s face. “Say your prayers.” Ruby’s face started to heat up as she realized Rias was going to blast her face off.

“Like. HELL!” Ruby shouted before grabbing Rias’ arm, which she used as leverage to kick her in the stomach. Rias let go, allowing Ruby to jump, plant both her feet on her fellow King’s stomach and kick, sending both in opposite directions. Rias quickly recovered and channeled her Power of Destruction and shot out a hail of softball-sized bullets at her opponent, going towards their target at lightning speed. Ruby quickly sent her Semblance into overdrive as she used it dodge every single one as she ran at Rias, only to have a punch go straight to her gut before getting an uppercut to the chin, with Rias using her wings to boost the height of the attack. Ruby landed her face when she hit the ground.

“You had enough?” Rias taunted, trying to increase Ruby’s stress. Ruby only picked herself off the ground and dusted off her clothes.

“Does it look like I had enough?” Ruby growled, eyes flashing red before becoming silver.

Rias just smirked.

**(Session 2: Weiss: Semblance with Ruby)**

“You know, we never really seen what happened to your Semblance ever since we became Devils.” Ruby pointed out, covered in cuts, bruises, bumps, and a black eye, as she and Weiss went into the mansion. Weiss had recently finished training with Kiba and Issei, and was feeling thirsty while Ruby wanted to visit Asia to heal her wounds.

“Well, when I used my Semblance at the Church during the Asia Rescue Mission they didn’t appear any different.” Weiss muttered. “Maybe my Semblance didn’t get affected.”

“Well, why don’t we test it out?” Ruby suggested. “After I get a check up with Asia, I’ll go and help you find out what it is.”

“Well, I was going to Akeno for some magic advice, but this might give us the advantage in the Rating Games.” Weiss said with a nod, figuring it wouldn’t hurt.

Unless it did. Then that would be a problem.

After Ruby healed up, and Weiss grabbed a bottle of water, they went outside and into a clear area. “Okay Weiss. Make a glyph.” Ruby said. Weiss took in a deep breath and quickly created a glyph in front of them. Ruby’s eyes narrowed as she walked up to it and studied it. “It doesn’t look any different from your other ones.”

“Because it’s just a base glyph. It doesn’t have a function other than show a Schnee can actually create them.” Weiss explained.

“Yeah, but it still doesn’t look any different.” Ruby said before coming back to Weiss. Weiss nodded. “Make another one.” Weiss emitted a lady-like grunt and created another base glyph. “Er… make a different one?” Ruby said, still not seeing difference. Weiss then created a time dilation glyph. “No. How about just go through every glyph you know.”

Weiss’ eye started to twitch as she created glyph after glyph after glyph, going through every single glyph she could perform. She was actually starting to get frustrated.

“No. Again.” Ruby said, standing at the centre of the newest glyph.

“That’s nearly all of them!” Weiss called out.

“’ _Nearly_ ’?” Ruby repeated with a raised eyebrow. “Huh?” Weiss cursed at herself for revealing the little imperfection in her repertoire of glyphs.

“There is one more. But you may want to stand back.” Weiss said in a stern voice. Ruby quickly nodded and went back to Weiss.

‘Okay. Just calm down and do what you’ve been taught.’ Weiss thought as she took a deep breath. She then created a summoning glyph, but it was flickering as it started to form. “Come on… come on…” Weiss muttered to herself, trying to make it stable.

“Put more power into it.” Ruby suggested.

“Don’t tell me what to do.” Weiss said, some sweat going down her face as she closed her eyes in hopes of being able to concentrate. “I can do this.”

“It doesn’t look like you can.” Ruby noted, seeing her partner struggling to completely form the glyph.

“Well I can!” Weiss yelled at Ruby, not noticing her glyph was starting to gain a red tint to it as it electricity started to spark from it.

“Uh… Weiss?” Ruby said as she saw the glyph start to change. “Um… your glyph…”

“I’m working on it!” Weiss shouted out. Ruby was now starting to get worried as the glyph started to shrink.

“Weiss!” Ruby called out in panic, causing Weiss’ eyes to snap open.

“WHAT!?” Weiss yelled out, before another red-tinted glyph appeared underneath her, both vanishing in a flash.

“Huh!? Weiss!” Ruby exclaimed, looking around frantically before seeing Weiss appear on the first glyph she created. Both disappeared as soon as Weiss reappeared. “What the…”

“Oww…” Weiss said, dazed before shaking her head. “What just happened…?”

“I… I think you channel some of your Devil energy into your glyph?” Ruby guessed. Weiss narrowed her eyes before creating another summoning glyph, though there was still some difficulty. Then she and Ruby took a look at its design. Various runes and symbols loved the edges and interior, neither of them could read in a circular pattern, with Ruby’s symbol in the middle. It looked familiar, though. Almost like…

“It’s a Summoning Circle.” Weiss realized. She paused, looking at her hand as if it would reveal the answers of why, before quickly creating another glyph and stepping into it. Again, she vanished and appeared on her first glyph, both of them dissipating after being used.

“Weiss, you can teleport!” Ruby said, excited with the new development.

“No… I think that… I’m summoning myself.” Weiss muttered, wincing at the irony. “I can create Mini-Summoning Circles…” Suddenly, Ruby gasped as an excited expression appeared on her face.

Weiss quickly recognized that expression, and couldn’t help but smirk.

The little dolt had an idea.

**(Session 3: Penny: Team Attacks with Yang)**

“I have heard of this in school, Rook Yang.” Penny said. Currently, she and Yang were inside the mansion having a break and their King had tasked them with (what she personally considers) the most important job in their peerage.

Making up Team Combination names.

“How about Enabler!” Penny happily suggested. Yang blushed. Apparently, there was a rumor that was going around that she, Ruby, Blake and Weiss were in a relationship with each other, and people had decided to take it upon themselves to create ship names. There were even ship names in case three of them were dating each other, a name for her and Ruby’s imaginary incestuous relationship and, of course, all of them dating each other. No matter how much they denied it, Pollination shipping lived on as long as the boys (and the occasional girl) masturbated to the image of them in a circle eating each other out.

Or sucking on a girl dick. Hermaphrodite RWBY was a bit too common for Yang’s taste.

Anyway, Yang waved her arms in Penny’s face. “No!” Yang quickly exclaimed as she quickly stole the list of names they’ve made up so far and quickly crossed out the name, repeatedly, till there was a hole in the paper. “Anyway, I think Ruby already made one up for me and her.”

“Well, we still have Burning Roses and…” Penny then paused as she realized something. “Actually, we only have two names. Enabler and Burning Roses.”

“How about… Hot and Fast?” Yang suggested, before covering her mouth. Where the Hell did that come from? “No, wait! Don’t put that down! Erm… Rosilocks? Rosilocks sound good, right?”

“Rosy… locks…” Penny sounded out slowly to herself before nodding. “Affirmative. Both Rosilocks and Hot and Fast are written down.”

“Don’t put ‘Hot and Fast’ down!” Yang yelled out as she stood up before sitting back down and groaning. “Ugh… those rumors are worse in Kuoh than in Beacon… Let’s go back to Pancakes…”

“Affirmative. Let me read what we have so far for her.” Penny said. “Daraku Yellow with you, Broken Black with Blake, Impure White with Weiss, and Unnatural Beauty, with me. We need one for King Ruby…” Yang and Penny simultaneously winced, knowing this was going to be tough considering Ruby and Pancakes… relationship.

“Okay, first and foremost, Rubycakes is out.” Yang stated. “And so is Fallen Roses. They’re both lazy. So… what can we make up…”

“Hm…” Penny muttered before snapping her fingers. “Strawberry Pancakes?”

“No. That’s still lazy.” Yang said with a sigh. “...Crow Petals?”

**(Session 4: Pancakes: Studying with Blake)**

“…What does ‘Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia’ mean?” Pancakes asked without looking up from her book about phobias.

“The fear of the number 666.” Blake answered, who also didn’t look up from her book, reading about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

“Thank you.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Do I have it?” Pancakes asked. Blake then just showed her a piece of paper with ‘666’ on it for a few seconds.

“No.”

**(Session 5: Issei: Everything with Everyone)**

As soon as Rias announced training was finished for the day, Issei stepped into the mansion, covered in various injuries and dirt.

And promptly collapsed onto the floor.

“I fucking suck.”

(Dinner)

“Wow! This all looks really good!” Ruby exclaimed as she looked at all the dishes in front of her. Various meat, fish and vegetable dishes were set on the table and Ruby had no idea which she should start with.

“I am glad you enjoy my cooking, Mistress.” Pancakes said with a bow as she ate a rather small helping of her own cooking.

“Ara ara. Pancakes turned out to be a really great help in the kitchen.” Akeno said. “And thank you, Buchou, for catching all the meat and fish earlier.”

“You’re welcome, Akeno.” Rias said before using her chopsticks to pick up some rice. “Can’t let everyone else do the work after all.”

“I have to admit, I kinda missed feasts like these from back home.” Weiss admitted. Blake, however, wasn’t paying attention as she drooled at the sight of the largest tuna she has ever seen.

“Well, let’s all eat up! We need this if we want to take down Raiser.” Yang called out as she dug into her dinner, making small talk with the others.

“Yeah!” Issei cheered out, happy to be eating the Queen’s cooking. “Akeno-san, you are the best! I'd even want you as my wife!”

“Ufufu, you are embarrassing me.” Akeno said with a blush as she gave Issei more food.

“You sure are enjoying this, huh, Issei?” Ruby teased. “Plus, what about Pancakes? She cooked too.” Issei stopped eating for a second before nervously laughing.

“Well... her cooking’s great, all things considering.” Issei muttered.

“Yeah, gotta admit that.” Ruby mumbled to herself. It wasn’t every day your murderer cooked you dinner.

“...I also made this soup.” Asia quietly spoke up, showing Issei and Ruby the onion soup she made. She looked like she was about to cry due to only herself grabbing a serving.

“Oh! Sorry, Asia.” Ruby apologized as she and Issei got themselves a serving of onion soup as well and consuming it in an instant. They had to admit, it was really good.

“It’s good Asia! It’s the best! Give me another one!” Issei said, causing Asia to smile.

“It is!? I’m so glad...” Asia exclaimed before mumbling to herself. “Then now I can become Issei-san's...”

“Hm? What was that?” Issei said, not quite hearing the last couple of words Asia mumbled to herself.

“N-No! It’s nothing!” Asia nervously said before she quickly went back to eating.

“Now, Ruby. From today’s training, what have you found out?” Rias said, wanting to know their progress.

“Well, for me, I… need to do a lot of work.” Ruby answered. “Between controlling my Power of Suffering and generally improving myself, I need to work on new Team Attacks with Yang, Penny and Pancakes. Also, tomorrow I’m planning to create a new one for Weiss and Blake. And since we’re gonna work together, I’m also planning to work with your peerage for Team Attacks as well. So far, I have an idea for Issei, me and Yang but that’s about it. And that’s not to mentioning juggling the idea of creating a few new weapons for your peerage and-or modifications for my peerage’s weapons.”

“It seems you’ve got your work cut out for you.” Rias said, impressed by her fellow King’s various plans and ideas that she created in just a few hours. Ruby blushed and scratched the back of her head sheepishly. “Okay, now Issei. What have you learned?”

“…I’m the weakest among us.” Issei sighed sadly.

“Yeah, that was kinda obvious.” Weiss admitted.

“Are you just finding out about that right now?” Blake deadpanned.

“We kinda already know.” Yang muttered.

“I assumed it was public information.” Penny stated.

“Is this why you stated that you ‘fucking’ suck? If the act of ‘fucking’ is being used in the correct context?” Pancakes questioned.

“Yes. That’s for sure.” Rias answered plainly. Issei sulked.

“Hey, Issei, you’re not that bad.” Ruby said as she put a hand on Issei’s shoulder. Issei just chuckled humorlessly. “You just didn’t get a chance to show what you have.”

“Yes, but that just isn’t enough.” Rias stated. “Akeno, Yuuto, and Koneko have lots of battle experience even though they have not participated in the game, so they can fight if they get used to it. And almost everyone in Ruby’s peerage live in a world where things like _that_ -” Rias then pointed at the scythe which was also a customizable, high impact sniper rifle known as Crescent Rose as Ruby used it to feed Zwei a whole chicken. “-Is used every day. And Pancakes is still a very good fighter even with her… _slight_ problem. But you and Asia don't have any experience yet. Even so, Asia’s healing ability and your Boosted Gear is something that can’t be ignored. Even the enemy knows that. I want you to have at least the power to run away.”

“R-Run away!?” Issei exclaimed. “Is it really that hard?” Rias just nodded.

“Running away is also a part of the strategy.” Rias explained. “Retreating to form a new formation is also a professional way of battling. There are ways to win a match like that. However, running away with your back facing an enemy is something quite hard. If it’s an enemy with roughly the same strength as you, it is easy, but showing your back to an enemy who is far superior to you is basically asking them to kill you. So being able to run away from such enemy will also be a part of your strength. So, I have to teach you and Asia the time you have to run away. Of course, I will also teach you how to fight the enemy head on.”

“Yeah, and don’t count me out in teaching you.” Yang called out. “You need some hand-to-hand combat training, because from what I seen you’re just swinging your fist around.”

“Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to have _something_ to defend yourself with just in case.” Ruby said. “I’ll go ahead and start working on a weapon for both you and Rias, Asia.”

“Hm? Why me?” Rias asked, eyebrow raised. “I said I could defend myself.”

“Just relying on one form of attack isn’t going to cut it most of the time.” Ruby replied. “Having a few surprises wouldn’t hurt.”

“Well, you guys are right…” Issei muttered before sighing. “Roger that.”

“Yes.” Asia said with a nod at the same time.

“…Okay. I’ll let you create a weapon for me.” Rias said after a bit of thought.

“Cool. Hey, does Hell have any ore or metals I can use?” Ruby asked.

“Yes.” Rias answered. “I’ll try and get some of it in before our ten days are up.”

“Okay. What is it called?” Ruby said.

“Hellainium.” Rias said plainly. There was a silence at the table as soon as the name was said. “…Yeah. Devils… kinda don’t need ore so… we got lazy on the name. Though, I think I can get Styxium too…”

“Welp! I’m full!” Yang announced as she stretched and rubbed her stomach. “Man… that was a good meal…”

“We should prepare for bed.” Blake suggested, not noticing her whiskers and tail appearing on her body. “Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnyyyyyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaa-“ Blake yawned before covering her mouth. She blushed as a few chuckled at the table chuckled.

“Blake’s right.” Rias said, before she had a bit of a mischievous smile appeared on her face before quickly hiding it. “Let’s take a bath after everyone’s done with their meal. It’s an outdoor bath, so it’s wonderful.”

“That sounds heav-urp!” Weiss started before covering her mouth just in time, causing everyone to sigh in relief. “I mean, that sounds really great right now.” Weiss corrected.

“Yeah. All my muscles are sore from training today.” Ruby said as she stretched. “So, what order is it…” Ruby trailed off as she noticed Issei staring off dreamily into space as his nose bled freely. “Uh…”

“If it’s an outdoor bath, then it’s a place to peek!” Issei mumbled to himself, not realizing he was talking out loud. “Peeking is the right way for an outdoor bath! Yeah, it’s a sin not to peek if you are born as a man!” Issei shouted out… before Weiss threw a ladle at his face.

“NO WAY IN HELL, PERVERT!” Weiss yelled out.

“I’m not going to peek, Issei-kun.” Kiba said with his ever-winning smile.

“That’s because you can control your lust much better than he can.” Yang deadpanned.

“Oh, Issei. Do you want to peek at us while we are taking a bath?” Rias asked, a mischievous smile on her face.

“P-P-P-Prez!?” Ruby exclaimed.

“WHAT!?” Weiss shouted out in disbelief.

“Excuse me?” Blake said, wondering what was wrong with the other King.

“RIAS!” Yang yelled out, her eyes flashing red.

“King Rias, are you promoting voyeur and-or exhibition fetishes?” Penny inquired.

“Is that inappropriate?” Pancake asked in a dull and confused tone, tilting her head to the side.

“Then how about you bathe with us? I don’t mind.” Rias chuckled out.

“WWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTT!?” Team RWBY and Issei exclaimed as he wiped the blood coming from his nose off his face.

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’ from your peerage, Ruby.” Rias said, causing Team RWBY to panic. “How about you, Akeno?” Rias asked, ignoring the overreacting teens.

“I don’t mind if it’s Issei-kun. Ufufu. I might want to wash a gentleman’s back.” Akeno said, a small blush on her face.

“Is this for real!?” Ruby and Issei exclaimed.

“How about you, Asia? You should be all right if it's your beloved Issei, right?” Rias asked. Asia, who was bright red at this point, just nodded just because she didn’t want to be left out and to get closer to one of her saviors.

Issei, who was now trying to restrain Issei Jr. as he tried to free himself from his confinement. ‘How unguarded can the girls from this club get!?’ Issei thought before shaking his head. ‘No! Resist your urges, Issei, or they’re gonna hate you forever. Especially Ruby. Resist your urges, Issei, or they’re gonna hate you forever. Especially Ruby.’ He chanted to his deteriorating self-control.

“Lastly Koneko? How about it?” Rias asked her only Rook.

“No.” Koneko automatically responded as she ate through the comically large pile of food she had.

“Then it’s a no. Too bad, Issei.” Rias chuckles with a naughty expression on her face as Team RWBY just wiped the sweat off their brow.

“Guess I’ll just have to-“

“...If you peek, then I will hold a grudge against you forever.” Koneko interrupted Issei’s mumblings as Yang cracked her knuckles, causing the pervert to sweat profusely.

“Issei-kun, let’s have a naked bath together. I will wash your back.” Kiba happily offered.

“Shut up!” Issei yelled at the Prince of Kouh. “I'll seriously kill you, Kiba! Hey wait, no! Stop pulling me! **KIIIIIIIIIIBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA**!”

(Some time later…)

“Why can’t I sleep tonight…” Ruby whined quietly as she headed to the kitchen for some warm milk. It was probably past midnight and Ruby was in her pajamas. No matter how hard she tried, she just could relax. “Maybe it’s just nerves for the Rating Game.” Ruby told herself. “Rias’ happiness, and my life…” She muttered as she stopped and stared at her hand before shaking her head. She then noticed something out the window.

“Issei, what are you doing out so late?” Ruby called out as she ran outside, having spotted Issei punching a tree. “I know we did some night training but it’s, like, 2am. Don’t tell me Prez put you up to this.”

“No. Actually, I told Buchou to let me train alone.” Issei said before picking up a bottle of water and taking a swig before he continued punching the tree with everything he had. “I have to! I am the weakest one here.”

“Yeah, maybe, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay up late.” Ruby said, trying to comfort her friend. “Go to sleep.”

“I don’t have to, I know.” Issei replied. “I want to. I have to protect Buchou and Asia after all.” Ruby could only sigh.

“Well, punching a tree isn’t going to help.” Ruby said, causing Issei to stop. “Plus, we still have nine days and staying up so late isn’t going to help in the long run.” Issei just sighed.

“…Buchou said a Pawn can kill a King, right? Just like in a game of chess.” Issei muttered. Ruby just nodded. “But… a Pawn can only move one or two spaces forward while a King can move one space in any direction. I don’t know about you, but when it’s down to just a Pawn to defend a King against another King, I guess that second King wins, right?”

“Maybe. Or it becomes a stalemate.” Ruby said before smirking. “But, like I said before, ‘You gotta have a bit of luck if you wanna make a game fun.’”

“Ruby, where are you going with this?” Issei asked.

“I’m just wondering… what if we manipulate that luck.” Ruby replied. “Make it our game instead of a fair one?”

“…I’m not following.” Issei admitted, staring dumbly at her.

“That’s not important right now.” Ruby chuckled out before looking into Issei’s eyes. “What you do need to know is that I have a plan.”

“Amongst all of your other plans?” Issei asked incredulously. “What exactly are you thinking?”

“Nothing really. Except…” Ruby said before looking up to the night sky and taking in the cold night air. She honestly had no idea if the plan she had in mind was going to work or if it was even possible. So many things had to happen that required it to work.

But, she had faith in her friends. They didn’t make it this far out of pure luck after all.

“Tell me. Is RxD a good name?”


	15. A Simple Preperation

Ruby had watched Issei train for almost 3 hours before he collapsed to the ground, unable to continue. She sparred with him a little but overall, she just stood there and watched. After getting him a water bottle he helped him up and helped him back into his room. “Thanks Ruby.” Issei said as she laid him down on the bed.

“No problem.” Ruby replied. “…So, are you still considering it?”

“I don’t know…” Issei said as he stared up at the ceiling. “What will the other’s think?”

“Probably its stupid, or downright suicidal.” Ruby answered. “That’s why we’re not telling anyone. We’ll only make them worry.”

“But this RxD thing…” Issei muttered. “Are you sure we should do it? You didn’t sound so confident when you explained it to me.” Ruby sighed and stared at the suddenly interesting floor.

“I know it might not work but… you at least have to try, right?” Ruby said, smiling a little at her perverted friend.

“Well, if it stops Buchou from getting married…” Issei said before sighing. “You know, I really should’ve thought up a better analogy from before.”

“Yeah, it kind of sucked.” Ruby said before they both laughed. Suddenly, both their stomachs grumbled.

“Uh… I guess we burned through our dinner…” Issei said with a small chuckle.

“C’mon, I think we have leftovers. I’m sure a midnight snack won’t hurt.” Ruby said as she and Issei headed towards the kitchen. They ate some of the left over soup and fish when they heard a voice come from behind them.

“Ara? You're awake?” Rias said. The Royal Pawn and the actual Pawn turned around to see Rias sitting in the living room wearing a red negligee, glasses and her crimson hair tied up into a ponytail.

“Hi… Prez.” Ruby said, feeling a little awkward.

“Ah, Buchou. Hello.” Issei greeted stiffly. Rias frowned.

“Why are you so stiff, Issei?” Rias asked. She paused, then shook her head. “You know what, it doesn’t matter right now. Actually, good timing, let’s talk for a bit you two.” Ruby and Issei nodded and took a seat, sitting across Rias with a table in between them. There were papers scattered around the table which seemed to be maps with battle formations and stories of famous (Devil) battles. They sat in silence as Rias examined a book. Issei cleared his throat.

“Uh… Buchou, do you have bad eyesight?” Issei asked awkwardly.

“Oh, this?” Rias said as she took off her glasses. “It’s just for looks. I can think more clearly while having my glasses on. Fufufu, this is the proof that I have been in the human world for so long.” She chuckled out.

“Well, whatever helps.” Ruby said, letting out a small chuckle. “I think Weiss does that when there’s a big test coming up.” Ruby then looked over all the papers on the table. “Prez, were you gonna read all of this all night? The actual Rating Game isn’t for another 9 days and losing sleep won’t help.”

“I know that. But, I’m not exactly planning anything.” Rias said with a sigh. “…To be honest, the only thing I will get by reading this is to have a peace of mind.”

“Why is that?” Issei asked, looking a little confused.

“If the opponent is another High-class Devil, then we could fight by reading this.” Rias replied, holding up a book full of strategies. “This book is written with lots of research. But that isn’t the problem.”

“Then what is?” Ruby questioned, leaning towards Rias.

“Raiser himself. No, the biggest problem is that our opponent is the Phoenix.” Rias answered.

“Of course he has a title…” Ruby mumbled to herself as Rias showed them a picture of a fiery bird spreading its wings heroically.

“A long time ago the mystical beast, the Phoenix, was looked upon by humans as a bird that governs life. It was so looked upon that it left its legend in many countries in the human world where it’s told that the tears of the Phoenix can heal any wounds, and the blood that flows within its body can give eternal youth to those that drink it.” Rias explained.

“Heal any wounds…” Ruby muttered. “I think I heard of that in Remnant… but what does it have to do with Raiser?”

“I’m getting to that.” Rias said before continuing. “But there was also another clan that is different from the mystical beast Phoenix. They are the Devils that had the rank of Marquis, and were counted as one of the ‘72 pillars’. The ‘Phoenix’; from the Devils' side.”

“Wait, you mean Raiser’s ancestors?” Ruby spoke up. “Okay, so that explains… something…”

‘What the Hell is a Marquis again?’ Ruby thought.

“And what does this have to do with fried chicken?” Issei said, wanting Rias to continue. Rias giggled before continuing.

“The humans named the Devils' Phoenix as “Phenex” to distinguish it from the mystical beast Phoenix. However the mystical beast Phoenix has the same ability as Raiser’s clan. —In other words **immortality**. That’s the opponent we must fight against.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! WHAT!?” Ruby exclaimed.

“Immortal!? H-Hold on!” Issei called out as he stood up. “That’s cheating! I mean being immortal is basically being invincible!”

“Rias, you know I care for you.” Ruby said softly, her eyes flashing red. “But couldn’t you have said that little thing _before I bet **my life**_!”

“I didn’t know you would go and do that! I wasn’t even expecting a Rating Game!” Rias pointed out before sighing in frustration. “But yes. They are basically invincible. Even if you attack them, their wounds will heal right away. Their flames won’t even leave a bone left. Eight wins and two losses. This is the record that Raiser has at the official ‘Rating Game’. He fought ten times and won eight matches. He lost two of the matches on purpose as kindness to one of the households he is close to. In reality he won all of them. He already became a candidate to obtain a title in the official Game.”

“Mother-“ Ruby cursed before banging her fist on the table as Issei was just at a loss for words. “No… we can do this… immortality doesn’t mean living forever… no, wait, not being able to… DAMN IT! How the Hell do we beat him!?”

“That’s what I’ve been racking my brain for the entire day.” Rias said, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. “I felt something uneasy when I heard that Raiser was chosen as my fiancé. Yes, I think Otou-sama and the others chose him in case something like this was to happen. They chose Raiser so I will have no choice but to marry him. Even if it becomes a match between households, they knew that there was no way for me to win. In chess you would say they tricked me. A swindle.”

“That’s bullshit!” Issei shouted out. “There’s no way anyone has a right to do that! Not even your own family!”

“Permission to speak freely.” Ruby spoke up.

“Permission granted.” Rias replied automatically.

“I fucking hate your family.” Ruby growled out.

“Right now, I’m not too fond of them either…” Rias muttered to herself. “When the Rating Games became popular, the ones who climbed up the fastest is the House of the Phoenix. There weren’t that many battles among Devils until the Games were introduced. In a game where the King also participates, the strength of Phoenix became clearer. The House of Phoenix is the leading group among the strongest class. Immortal. Devils realized how terrifying this power was for the first time.”

“Well, I’m terrified _now_.” Ruby said, clutching onto her chest. Her heart was beating rapidly as sweat started roll down her face. “B-But that won’t stop us from taking him down!” She said. Rias noted there was a lot less confidence in Ruby’s voice now.

“Y-Yeah!” Issei said, trying to ignore the very likely fact he might die again. “W-We…”

Suddenly, both just sat down with gloomy expressions on their faces.

“I’m dead, aren’t I? I’m already dead.” Ruby whispered out. Rias winced but quickly started to chuckle. The two only looked up to see Rias’ smiling face.

“You know, it’s not like we  _can’t_  defeat Raiser.” Rias informed the two.

“Are you serious!?” Ruby and Issei exclaimed. Rias only smirked at their shocked faces.

“Yes. There are two ways you can defeat him.” Rias explained. “One is to beat him down with incredible power, and the other one is to keep on taking him down until his mind crushes. The first method requires the strength of a God-Class.” She then looked at Issei. “And Issei, with your Sacred Gear you could definitely do that if you’re ready.”

“Yes!” Issei cheered, pumping his fist into the air.

“What’s the second one?” Ruby asked.

“The second one is to save our stamina until Raiser gets his mind crushed. Even if his body is immortal where he can resurrect his body many times, his mind isn’t immortal. His mind will definitely tire down every time we defeat him. It’s our win if we completely crush down the Phoenix’s mind. Then he will stop resurrecting and he will fall.” Rias continued. “And with Ruby’s Power of Suffering, Raiser won’t stand a chance.”

“O-Okay…” Ruby mumbled out. She was still uncomfortable about her power, and she was _most certainly_ _not_ looking forward to the prospect of destroying minds, but if it came down to it… “So, we either overpower him physically or mentally?”

“Well, the easiest way is to defeat him with a power that is on par with God that crushes him down with one strike which takes down both his body and mind, but yeah. That’s the gist of it.” Rias said, looking down at the scattered papers.

‘So either God-like strength… or another Pancakes…’ Ruby thought. Even if Raiser was a terrible person, she was not going to go that far. She was not going to use her Power of Suffering on Raiser, but then again, her life was literally on the line and they were fighting an uphill battle. They needed all the advantages they could get but…

“Buchou.” Issei spoke up, breaking the silence and snapping Ruby out of her thoughts.

“What is it?” Rias asked.

“Why do you hate Rai-“ Issei paused before starting again. “No, more like, why are you against this marriage?”

“I thought it was already obvious Issei.” Ruby said. “Raiser’s a dick. It’s forced marriage with no love. The end.”

“There’s more to that Ruby.” Rias said with a sigh. “…I’m a Gremory.”

“Duh, you’re Rias _Gremory_.” Ruby deadpanned.

“Huh? W-Well, you certainly are…” Issei said awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“No. I didn’t re-introduce myself. I’m a Devil from the House of Gremory, and that name will follow me to wherever I go.” Suddenly, it hit what Rias was meaning.

“Do you hate being a Gremory?” Ruby asked.

“Not at all. In actuality, I feel proud of it.” Rias replied. “However, this is also something that is a burden to me. It’s just the people in it and who I know I hate. Everyone looks at me as Rias from the Gremory clan. I can’t have them look at me simply as Rias. That’s why I’m enjoying my life in the human world. They don’t know about the Gremory the Devil. Everyone looks at me as who I am. I really like that feeling. I never felt something like this in the Devils' society, and I never will now on as well. The only time I can enjoy my life as myself is when I’m in the human world.”

“Well, we do have cookies.” Issei said, earning a few small laughs.

“Hell, even with my arguments with you, Ruby. They aren’t about what just affects the Gremory Clan, they aren’t with family members. They’re about what affects others, even if I’ve never met them in my life… you don’t even bother to call me ‘sensei’ during our arguments.” Rias’ laugh lacked any humor, or happyness. “It’s nice.”

She was sad.

Ruby never saw Rias this vulnerable before. She could feel the dread of marrying Raiser just from her tone alone. And she couldn’t describe the loneliness she must’ve experienced, the burden of a weight on her shoulders.

“You and Weiss should really hang out more.” Ruby said, trying to lighten the mood.

“I’ll make sure to set some time aside for that after the Rating Games.” Rias said with a small smile, before continuing. “Still, I want to be with someone who will love me as Rias without the fact that I’m a Gremory. That’s my small dream I have… Unfortunately, Raiser only looks at me as Rias from the _Gremory_ clan. And he loves me as Rias from the _Gremory_ clan. Not… Rias. That’s why I hate it. But still, the pride of being a Gremory is very important. My feelings may be complicated, but I want to cherish this small dream I have.”

“I’m sure you’ll accomplish this dream.” Issei said. “After all, I like Buchou as Buchou already.” Rias’ smiled sadly. “I don’t know anything about Gremory or about the Devils' world, but to me Rias-buchou is Rias-buchou… Nggh, I don’t understand all the complicated stuff but to me the usual Buchou is the best!” Issei declared with his biggest smile.

“Yeah, I mean, _Rias_ is the reason we’re friends in the first place, not Rias _Gremory_.” Ruby said with a smile plastered onto her face. Rias’ face turned as red as her hair at the compliments given to her, mostly because of Issei, which confused both said idiot pervert and Ruby.

“B-Buchou? D-Did we say something weird?” Issei asked nervously.

“I-It’s nothing!” Rias quickly said before shaking her head. All of them decided to change the topic.

“But having an opponent like that for the genius Buchou’s first match, it certainly will be a hard obstacle, right?” Issei said.

“Yeah, it’ll be a challenge, but who doesn’t love a good challenge.” Ruby said.

“I don’t actually like the word ‘genius’.” Rias admitted; her face still red as Ruby’s cloak.

“You don’t like being called a ‘genius’?” Ruby asked, her eyebrow rising in surprise.

“A talent that is given by heaven… it feels like it’s a gift given by God so no, I don’t feel good.” Rias explained. “My talent is born from the roots of the House of Gremory that has been passed down to the generations. I inherited that trait as a Devil. I never thought that I received it as a gift from God, and that’s impossible. My power belongs to me and the House of Gremory. That’s why I won’t lose. I will win if I have to fight. I have to win.” Ruby had to admit Rias was right. People kept calling her a prodigy, both at Signal and in Beacon, and even if she did pick up using Scy-ifles much faster than others, she worked really hard to develop her fighting style. Skill didn’t come naturally. Everyone could be just as good, just not as fast.

“Buchou, I’m worthless. I have been useless… since I got here.” Issei said in a weak voice, causing Rias and Ruby to give him a dubious look.

“Issei?” Rias said quietly.

“We talked about this already!” Ruby called out.

“I know! It’s just-“

“Shut up!” Ruby interrupted him. “You are _not_ worthless! You just haven’t been given a chance! Stop doubting yourself!”

“But just today I realized how much of a difference there is between me and everyone else! No matter how much stronger I get, I can’t catch up!” Issei said; his hand clenched into fists in frustration. A tear rolled down his face. “I’ll never be as good of swordsman as Kiba, Weiss or Blake! Akeno taught me I suck at using my demonic-energy! Asia knows more about magic in a day than I have in weeks! Even with Yang and how she doesn’t even know how to use it, she’s more powerful than me!” He then summoned his Sacred Gear. “This thing can supposedly kill Gods! But I’m the most useless so it means nothing if I’m the one with the ultimate Sacred Gear. Pearl before _fucking_ swine, certainly a fitting phr-“

He quickly interrupted by Ruby and Rias hugging him.

Issei quickly tried to fight off the nosebleed that resulted from being sandwiched between two magnificent pairs of breasts.

“You idiot…” Ruby managed to get out between her sobs. She could stand her friend beating himself up. “You’re not useless… stop calling yourself that…”

“You want confidence, right?” Rias said, rubbing her cheek on Issei’s shoulder as she wiped off Issei’s tears. “Okay, Ruby and I will give you your confidence. You don’t have to be as good as everyone else. Just be the best Issei Hyoudou you can be. But now, you have to rest your body and mind. I will be with you until you feel like sleeping.”

“Th-Thanks…” Issei mumbled out, the warmth of the Human King and the Crimson Ruin Princess warming the very depths of his soul. They stayed like this until they all eventually fell asleep, hugging each other for the rest of the night.

(The _Next_ Day)

It had been five days since they’ve started training for the Rating Games and everyone was not slowing down in the slightest. Team RWBY, Pancakes and Penny were standing at the edge of a large, clear area deep within the woods surrounding the Gremory Mansion. All covered in dirt with their clothes having a myriad of rips and tears, facing and a humanoid training dummy at the other end held up only by a couple of sticks and prayers. They’ve been training all day and they felt they were ready. If they could do this, they would dominate anyone who would stand in their way. They all took deep breaths before taking out their weapons.

“One more time…” Weiss muttered to herself, razor focussed on nailing her part.

“Whenever you’re ready sis.” Yang said, getting into a stance.

“I am combat ready.” Penny said, her swords floating behind her.

“If we can do this…” Blake mumbled to herself.

“I am at your command, Mistress.” Pancakes said in her usual dull tone.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Ruby tightened her grip on Crescent Rose. ‘We can do this.’ Ruby thought before eyes snapped open, her silver eyes glowing slightly.

“Bumblebee, set it up!” Ruby shouted out. “Nuts & Dolts! NOW!” As soon as Ruby started commanding her team, they quickly went to into their positions. As Ruby, Penny, Blake and Yang charged at the dummy, Pancakes let out her wings and took to the sky while Weiss used her now-named Teleport Glyph to get into position. Blake, as she ran towards the dummy, threw her ribbon and wrapped the dummy in a constricting hold, before pulling it towards her as Ruby and Penny ran past. Just as it approached Blake, Yang jumped over, summoned her Sacred Gear and punched the dummy in the face, creating a sonic boom and forcing it away from her and towards Penny and Ruby.

“Executing: Dance of Bloody Blades!” Penny called out just as she surrounded Ruby with her swords in a ring before she and Ruby started slashing at the dummy, slicing it as fast as they could with both of them being careful not to cut each other this time.

“Penny! Do it!” Ruby commanded. Penny didn’t hesitate to stop her attacks, giving Ruby a chance to jump out of the way as Penny assembled her swords to fire her laser. “Monochrome! Now!” Ruby called out as Penny fired her laser, blowing the dummy towards Weiss. Weiss quickly created an Entrance Teleportation glyph in front of her and an Exit glyph on the ground just to her left just as the dummy got teleported to the glyph she just set up. Then, as the dummy was in the air, Weiss surrounded the dummy with Entrance and Exit Teleportation glyphs, trapping it in an orb before Weiss created one more Entrance glyph before she and Blake jumped in. Suddenly, the dummy was being attacked from every angle possible as Weiss and Blake mercilessly stabbed and slashed the dummy. After a few seconds they broke off,  landing on the ground, then jumping to kick the dummy further into the air.

“Checkmate!” Blake shouted out.

“Daraku Yellow!” Weiss exclaimed, cuing Pancakes to fly over to Yang and grabbed her by her shoulders before taking off back into the sky as high as they could, way above the dummy. Then, Pancakes then grabbed Yang before her ankles, spun around as fast as she could before throwing Yang towards the dummy and the ground. As Yang reached the dummy, she cocked back her fist, un-summoned her Sacred Gear in exchange for Ember Celica, before letting another punch fly, firing off a shell half an inch from her target as she savagely punched the dummy all the way to Earth, creating a small crater when they landed. If the dummy was alive, it would’ve seen a rather beautiful sight if it weren’t in extreme pain, or dead, as Yang flipped off the dummy.

It was Ruby and Pancakes high in the air, silhouetted with the setting sun behind them as Ruby cocked her Sniper Rifle while Pancakes created as many light spears as she could.

“Your end is due at the Crimson Sunset.” Pancakes said before she and Ruby let bullets and spears fly. When they landed back onto the ground, everyone regrouped and saw the damage they managed to deal upon the dummy. Despite its magic enhancement, it looks as if it went twenty rounds with a woodchipper.

“Really?” Weiss panted out. Creating so many glyphs in so little time tired her out. “You… made her… say that?”

“It was an order by Mistress. I cannot disobey her, Weiss-sama.” Pancakes replied, just causing Weiss to groan.

“We did it!” Ruby cheered out.

“Don’t you think that was a little excessive?” Yang asked, throwing Weiss a water bottle. “Not that I’m complaining of course. That was awesome!”

“Well, if that’s what it takes to beat Raiser, we need to do all we can.” Blake pointed out. “But setting this up is going to take some work.”

“And I don’t think I have another in me…” Weiss groaned, hands on her knees even after she took a large swig of her bottle. Ruby quickly started noting down all the flaws in executing this type of attack in her head and started figuring out ways to overcome them, but they were all tired and some of them looked like they were about to collapse.

Plus, Ruby still had a lot of work to do.

“Let’s call it a day. We’ll work out the kinks later and work on rivaling God!” Ruby said, before wincing a little in pain. Weiss, Blake and Yang sighed in relief while Penny and Pancakes nodded, heading off towards the Gremory Mansion.

During the entire spiel of savagely destroying multiple innocent prices of wood, none having ever noticed a woman with a mask of Grimm observing them the whole time.

“They’re getting better.” Raven muttered, lying down on a large tree branch with a small smile on her face. “But nowhere near what they can actually do.” She added, continuing her writing in her journal about her observations thus far. She closed it with a sigh, relaxing in the setting sun.

Before a mountain exploded in the distance.

(The Next-Next Day)

It was now day six of their training sessions and Yang had started teaching Issei the essential basics of hand-to-hand combat. “You can do it, Issei-san!” Asia cheered out, who wanted to see how Issei was performing, as well as be on stand-by in case he got seriously injured. Issei just gave her a quick smirk, despite his fear of that very real danger, before being punched for getting distracted.

“Keep your eyes on your opponent.” Yang said as she cracked her bare knuckles. “Don’t think the next one will be just as soft.”

“What is your definition of _soft_!?” Issei exclaimed as he picked himself off the ground before re-summoning his Boosted Gear.

“You aren’t knocked out. Yet.” Yang replied as she and Issei got into the battle stance they practiced beforehand. Issei attacked first with a right hook, but Yang ducked left, going for a straight punch. Issei quickly put his arms up to guard it, but it only left his abdomen exposed, earning a quick jab into his gut.

“ACK!” Issei shouted in pain, grabbing onto his stomach as he stumbled back.

“You aren’t clenching!” Yang reprimanded. “If I wasn’t holding back, I would’ve knocked you out cold. Hell, I could’ve even killed you! Remember; turn to the _side_ so attacks hit off center. Makes you a much smaller target, gives you a bit more range, lets you balance better and, more importantly, keeps your vital organs un-punched! And control your breathing! Exhale when I start swinging!”

“When is this going to be over…?” Issei groaned before getting into a battle stance, making sure to turn to his side this time.

“This is just Getting Your Ass Kicked 101.” Yang said with a smirk. “How to protect your body as best as you can in combat situations. Well, at least in hand-to-hand, or against blunt objects. It’s all about protecting your organs and your head since you kinda need them to live. Now come on! Try and hit me this time!”

“I’ve been trying to the entire time.” Issei grumbled before he stepped towards Yang, braced his back foot before throwing much faster punch at Yang than before. Yang quickly used her forearms to block it before countering with a left and right hook. Issei quickly blocked the two punches before getting socked in the nose, whipping his head back and knocking his ass to the ground. Issei groaned and wiped the blood coming out of his nose and the tears coming out of his eyes. Asia laid him back onto the ground as she healed up his face. After his face looked less like it lost to an oncoming train, Yang grabbed his hand and helped him up back onto his feet.

“I think that’s enough for today.” Yang sighed. “But you made good progress. Just remember to try and turn your head to the side to protect your nose. You’ll thank me later.”

“I’ll thank you when you aren’t beating me half to death.” Issei whined before sighing to himself. “But thanks for the lessons.”

“No problem.” Yang giggled out before summoning her Sacred Gear and looking at it. “At least you’re getting better with your Sacred Gear. I still have no idea how this stupid thing works.”

“Hey, at the rate we’re going, you won’t need it.” Issei said, patting Yang on the back before heading towards the mansion to get something to eat and drink. Yang just sighed and looked at her Sacred Gear again.

“You know, one day I will make you work.” She muttered to herself before un-summoning it before heading inside for a snack.

(The Actual Next Day)

“Is it Plague or Pestilence?” Ruby asked Rias as they walked down the hall of the mansion.

“Well, in actuality, it’s called Conquest. In text it is referred to as Pestilence, for example the last book of the New Testament. Less frequently called the Christ or Antichrist. Though, Plague and Pestilence are the same thing.” Rias answered. “But why are you asking me about this?”

“I just have some rough ideas for my team.” Ruby admitted. “By the way, what do you want for your weapon? Because I was thinking about giving you a dagger or a revolver. Oh! Maybe even both! Or both in one!”

“I haven’t fired a gun in my life.” Rias pointed out. “Or really fought with weapons in general. I’d usually fight with my Power of Destruction.”

“Yeah, but weapons on your person are a bit more reliable. You can’t run out of energy with swords!” Ruby said before muttering to herself. “Unless you’re Weiss. And that sword in that video game Issei lets me play…”

“Ruby, I appreciate what you’re doing but I can do this with just my peerage.” Rias said. “Don’t put your life down for me.”

“Hey, you’re a friend.” Ruby said kindly. “I’ve said this a hundred times; I’ll do anything to ensure someone’s happiness.”

“Hehe… friend…” Rias mumbled weakly before Ruby gasped.

“Oh! Right, Asia’s weapon should be cooled down by now!” Ruby exclaimed. “Wait right here, I’ll be right back.” Rias blinked and all that was left of Ruby was a few rose petals.

“I’m not even going to question how she managed to get an entire workshop and forge here…” Rias said with a sigh.

“Just don’t think about it.” Akeno said as she approached from behind. “It’s better that way.”

“You’re probably right.” Rias muttered before sighing once again. “…You’re here to remind me that I have to tell them and get them out of the Rating Game.”

“Not at all.” Akeno said with sweet smile Rias knew she was faking. “In all actuality, I want them to help, but no matter what, you have to tell them soon.”

“I know.” Rias mumbled. “So, how’s everyone going?”

“Well, Yang is sparring with Koneko while Weiss and Blake are practicing their swordsmanship with Kiba. Issei just finished studying, Asia is really starting to make progress with her magic and Pancakes is currently making dinner.” Akeno answered. “Should be ready by around 7.”

“Good.” Rias said. “At least everyone’s giving it their all. You think we can do this?”

“Who knows?” Akeno replied. “I honestly think we can with Ruby and her peerage. But you may never know until the time comes.”

“And what happens if we lose?” Rias pointed out. “Ruby dies and I get married off to that jackass.”

“…I don’t know.” Akeno admitted as she shook her head. Rias looked down to the ground. After a moment her eyes squinted in concentration.

“…I think I have an idea.” Rias said after a few seconds of silence. “...Hey, can you ask Blake if she can start training me tomorrow.”

“Of course, Buchou.” Akeno said with a bow before looking at her with an eyebrow raised. “But why now? And what for?”

“If you knew what I was thinking, you probably wouldn’t like it.” Rias replied. “Guess I’m gonna actually take up Ruby’s offer after all.”

“’Offer’?” Akeno repeated, looking confused.

“Hey, can’t a princess pack heat once in a while?” Rias said with a smirk.

(A few days later…[The Final Next Day])

It was the night of day ten. The last few hours before the Rating Game between Rias and Ruby’s peerages against Raiser’s harem. Ruby couldn’t help but feel a swell of anger rise up from her, her eyes flashing red before taking a few deep breaths. She had… some… control over her Power of Suffering now. She focused that power into the palms of her hands and managed to create a ball of cyan blue energy there. When she was finally about to do that, the vague memories of her battle with Raynare made her realize what she now controlled was what shattered Raynare into Pancakes in the first place. It would transfer all the suffering of people she was connected with to the target, amplified ten-fold.

So, she called the attack “Victimize”.

After letting the energy dissipate, Ruby saw Issei approaching her. She was outside, leaning against a tree and as far away from the mansion as they could. “You’re late.” Ruby said with a smile.

“Um, no I’m not.” Issei said, hands on his knees as he recovered his stamina. “You’re just early.”

“Really lazy excuse.” Ruby chuckled out before pulling out Crescent Rose. “You ready to perfect RxD?”

“You know it.” Issei said with a smirk. “But shouldn’t you be training with your other weapon?”

“Oh, I think I’m good enough for now.” Ruby said. “But this is more important.” She said before she readied herself. “Now c’mon! Let’s do this Issei!”

“Alright!” Issei called out as he activated his Sacred Gear and got ready. “Here…”

“We…” Ruby continued.

“GO!” Issei shouted out as they both leaped into the air.

**BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!**

“BURNING UP!” Ruby yelled out, her Devil energy flaring wildly around her.

“Rose of Dragons!” They cried out, training as much as they could before they ran out of everything they had. “Bloody Rose Blossoms!”

(A few hours later…)

“So… are we ready?” Ruby asked as she put as much ammo on her person as she could. It was 10 o’clock pm, exactly two hours before the Rating Game would begin, and they were all in the apartment doing everything they could to be prepared for war.

“Yep, I think so.” Yang said as she dusted off her clothes and tightened up her gloves.

“Are you sure these weapons are going to help?” Blake asked, studying everyone’s new weapons.

“Oh, I’m sure.” Ruby said with a smirk, holding up her latest creation.

“I’m also sure that at least half of these are banned in Remnant.” Weiss pointed out as she studied the new weapons.

Ruby had a scythe/sniper rifle designed to look like it was made out of bones, being primarily black with red highlights. In it’s sniper form… well, it would be more accurate to call it the weapon’s Anti-Material Rifle form… it was just as long as Ruby was tall. The spine acting as the barrel with a bayonet attached underneath with ribs and other bones making up the rest of the Anti-Material Rifle form. In its Scythe form, a dark red curved blade protruded out of a cow skull’s mouth as its spine acted at the handle, with grips placed near the bottom and halfway on the handle so Ruby wouldn’t hurt her hands. For flare, there was tattered red cloth around the weapon.

This was Death Rose, otherwise known as Crescent Rose 2.0. Sporting three times the recoil and power of Crescent Rose and despite being fifteen percent heavier, it does not impede her speed. Ruby had designed this to kill _everything,_ not just Grimm as Crescent was. The barrel infused the bullets it fired with corrosive magic, disintegrating anything in its path. Its extremely sharp blade that can easily cut through reinforced steel with ease, was more of an add-on to the tank stopping power to the outside eye. Ruby quick strokes and lethal speed made it look like the really killer in practice. However, Anti-Material Rifles are only available to the Atlas military, and cannot be used by a Huntsman or Huntress; _especially_ when combined with another weapon. When one had the idea to make one and used it on a mission, the entire town was destroyed and slaughtered. Put in the right hands (in this case Ruby’s), it is _the_ most lethal weapon in Remnant and Earth.

At least, that was the description according to the pamphlet Ruby gave Weiss.

Next on the pamphlet was Weiss’ new weapon.

It was based on Myrtenaster with one or two modifications, though with a dull white hue to it. The lower half was cast with the designs of rotting fruit decorating the guard of the rapier, the stems of rotten grapes forming into the handle. The runes on the blade were replaced with various demonic symbols and an etching of a chibi-Ruby hidden somewhere on the blade. While it did have Dust chambers, Ruby had given her bullets and a revolver cylinder, allowing Weiss to switch between using Dust and firing actual bullets from the hidden barrel in the guard.

This was Hungersnot. An unfortunately named rapier designed to give Weiss a better chance should she run out of Dust and magic and allow much faster creation glyphs and magic. The new revolver part of the rapier was semi-automatic and fired as fast as Weiss pulled the trigger, with the cylinder holding up to 7 bullets before needing to reload. The purpose of this weapon is to be aggressive in battle and allow Weiss to conserve her magic for later use.

And yes, it is German for ‘Famine’. Search it up.

 Next was Blake’s weapon.

After a few hours of research on Earth weapons, Ruby had created something special for Blake. It was a… just a few attachments for Gambol Shroud. Since Blake’s original weapon was already versatile enough, Ruby gave up trying to make a new one and instead just made attachments and a few design mods for it. Now, in its katana form the blade would extend about 50% of its original length if Blake wanted to, and was decorated in flies and leaving a sickly haze when swung, leaving behind such a horrendous smell that it would make opponents eyes water. But other than that it was largely unchanged apart from the blade glowing purple when separated into two weapons, Blake’s ribbon being replaced by black chains and the pistol being changed from a semi-automatic to a multi-barrel, automatic pistol decorated with small mummified arms and hands.

When all attachments and modifications were put onto Gambol Shroud, it became the Shrouded Plague, an enhanced version of Gambol Shroud.

And last but not least, there was Yang’s new weapon… which was a copy of her Sacred Gear, just for her left hand with orange accents that fires shotgun shells and buckshot. And with a little bit of Dust, was able to create a shield at the snap of a finger… as well as a flamethrower.

It was called War, and with Yang using it, not much could stay in her way.

Though Ruby wanted to create a weapon for Penny, she declined as her swords were good enough. Pancakes didn’t need one as her light spears would do the trick.

“It’ll be fine.” Ruby said offhandedly as she put Death Rose on her back. “With these Hellainium weapons, we can stand a better chance against Raiser.”

“Well, let’s hope it works.” Yang said as everyone put on the last pieces of their battle outfits, sharpened their blades, grabbed as much ammo as they could carry comfortably and equipped all their weapons.

“Alright, team, it’s do or die time!” Ruby said as she put on a determined expression on her face. “No more playing games. This is it.” She looked behind her and saw her peerage nod, looking just as determined as her. She didn’t know what would happen, but she knew that her life and Rias’ happiness was on the line.

So, they had to fight like Hell.

“Let the Rating Games begin!”

…

…

…

…

“It’s still not on for another two hours.” Weiss deadpanned.

“Oh.” Ruby said awkwardly as she blushed. “… So… uh… does anyone have cards?”

* * *

_‘Team Rebirth is a very interesting peerage. Consisting of the most unlikely of people to exist, they have come together due to unfortunate circumstances and being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Consisting of 6 members so far, they are young women who should not be trifled with if you managed to cross them._

_Especially Yang, which I mentioned earlier. I pray for your soul if you managed to piss her off.’_

Raven stopped writing turning back a few pages and noticed that she still hasn’t finished her rambling of information she wrote to both remind herself and inform someone in case something happened to her.

She decided to finish it.

_‘Now, let’s move onto a very… personal topic. You need to respect my wishes if you found this on my corpse._

_You see… in my teenage years I‘_

Raven was about to continue it, but something was preventing her from writing down the… thing she needed to get off her chest. Just thinking about made her uncomfortable. She just sighed to herself before erasing the last line and rewrote it.

_‘Now, let’s move onto a very… personal topic. You need to respect my wishes if you found this on my corpse._

_Now I am… not comfortable with the information I’m about to tell you and even now my hands are shaking, but someone… needs to know this._

_So, if you’ve been observing them, you will have noticed a woman with long blonde hair with purple eyes. She is Yang Xiao Long. If you somehow managed to crack the language from before, and I doubt you have, you will already know that she is very dangerous. Now, why I didn’t put her down when talking about profiles, and why I’m talking about her now, is because of a personal reason that I will not delve into but… well…_

_She has a Sacred Gear called Bloodlust, which was there ever since Remnant was created, or at least a few years after it was. It’s actually heavily connected to the creation of modern day Remnant, the one which have lied to themselves for years._

_I don’t know if I should say this but… in all these years there have only been two wielders of Bloodlust. One is Yang._

_The other… is me. Raven Branwen._

_It’s how I got into all this Devil and Angel crap ever since I was a teenager. It was in this temple me and my team found while out on a mission in the middle of a forest. After spending time researching it, I now realize it was a large shrine in dedication for the dragon that created Remnant and gave the Remnants of Peace a world without war, at least for a while._

_And guess who the dumbass was to take the stupid gauntlet and wear it._

_Unlike other wielders, I wasn’t born with it so it created… problems, especially when **it** awoke. I don’t wanna go into detail, but let’s just it wasn’t exactly a fun couple of years before I got control of it. Only my team and a few select people know about it, and now I’m telling some random stranger about one of my bigger secrets. Great._

_Point is, there is something you should know before you even think about meeting Yang._

_Lust is a very powerful thing. It can cloud the mind, destroy the heart and corrupt the soul. The goal is not to hurt the body but to hurt the mind. It is the only way to win._

_At least, that’s what I read. But in all seriousness, please don’t make her angry._

_Because she is my Little Badass Dragon after all.’_

And with that Raven closed the book and watched Team Rebirth play card for the next hour and a half, right outside their window. She turned away from the thrilling action of Ruby getting 21, again, and searched her pockets. She found what she was looking for and pulled it out.

It was Simple Pentagram she got a few weeks ago, a piece of paper containing a special ritual she could perform in case the worst happened, and another ritual that would allow her to highjack any Summoning Circle.

She put it back into her pockets and continued watching, hoping this peace would last a little bit longer…

(Fast Forward!)

…As she stared down the monster in front of her, among the wreckage of the building, fire and destruction all around her as Ruby fought to stand up again, while everyone else was blissfully unconscious.

Then, it _roared_.

 

 


	16. A Simple Rating Game 1

Ruby and her peerage arrived at the ORC clubroom at 11:00pm, only one hour until they faced Raiser. As the time grew near, everyone in the room was starting to feel a little anxious even though they didn’t visibly show that they were. Ruby was mentally psyching herself up as she sharpened her new scythe, Weiss was practicing the spells she learned from Akeno as said Queen watched from her seat as she drank tea with Rias. Blake was reading a book next to Koneko, Yang was punching the air, Kiba was putting on his armour as securely as he could, Penny was quickly doing some maintenance on herself to make sure she was 100% combat ready, and Pancakes was making more tea under Ruby’s orders to have something to calm her nerves. Issei and Asia had yet to arrive, leaving Ruby with her thoughts and imagination.

It really hit Ruby then that she was risking so much for someone else, and second thoughts were starting to plague her mind. She tried to shake them off but they just kept coming back. Images of her being executed while her own and Rias’ peerage watched. Hell, there even parts where she was forced to use Crescent Rose on herself. Her heart rate became faster as she shiver ran down her spine. Ruby let her hands flare a bit of her Power of Suffering before shutting it off.

“You can do this.” She whispered to herself. “You are a Huntress. You are a King.”

She kept repeating to herself those three phrases quietly until Issei and Asia arrived half an hour later. Now that she noticed, all of Rias’ peerage was wearing their school uniforms, except Asia who wore her nun clothes and carrying the new shield on her back that Ruby personally created for her.

The shield was based on something called the “Hylian Shield” from some video game Issei told her about. Ruby just took the basic shape, made it a little bigger to cover Asia’s back, making sure she could still carry it, and changed the design on the front of the shield to be light blue with an upside-down golden cross with small white stars on the sides, then painted the backside pure white. It was perfect for the pacifistic former nun, able to adequately protect her from most damage. Hopefully.

Now that she thought about it, maybe they should’ve added armour to their combat outfits. It was too late now but it left food for thought.

Both Issei and Asia didn’t say a word as they sat next to Ruby and started waiting, the only sound in the room was the clock ticking and Yang almost putting holes into the wall. As the minutes flew by, it only made Ruby more nervous. She thought about everything leading up to this moment, and while she was confident in her peerage, the term _Immortal_ was drifting around in her head. Was it really going to be enough? Raiser had strength in numbers, his entire peerage probably having tons of combat experience far beyond Ruby could imagine and were fiercely loyal to him. Compared to her and Rias’ peerages, with fewer players and less combat experience in comparison. This wasn’t the same as fighting monsters and crooks.

To Ruby, it felt like they were about to fight a god.

“Is everyone ready? It’s ten minutes before the match.” Grayfia said, causing Ruby to jump. She was so trapped within her thoughts she hadn’t noticed when the Strongest Queen appeared in the middle of the room. The room stood, determined expressions on their faces masking their true feelings.

“Been waiting all day.” Yang said with a cocky smile as she cracked her knuckles. “Been craving fried chicken lately.” It was both a pun and an actual craving Yang had been having. Though, she didn’t know why, final meal cravings?

“Is everyone here then?” Grayfia asked, wanting confirmation.

“Yes. Mine and Ruby’s peerages are here.” Rias replied almost automatically. Taking one last look around, she nodded and started informing them of their instructions.

“When it becomes the time to start the battle, you will be teleported to the battlefield through this Summoning Circle. The location of the arena is in a different dimension used for combat. You may fight with all your power. It’s disposable, so feel free to… Cut loose, as it were.” Grayfia said.

‘We can go all out then.’ Ruby thought, already reviewing the various strategies she and Rias came up with in her head. She learned very quickly during their full-peerage spars and training sessions that Devils tend to cause a lot of destruction regardless of how careful they wanted to be. Even Weiss somehow managed to obliterate a few trees while trying to fight Kiba.

“Hey, Buchou?” Issei spoke up.

“Yes?” Rias said, turning to her only Pawn.

“We have another Bishop, right?” Issei pointed out, remembering Rias mentioning about one back during the Asia Rescue Mission. “Where is that person? We could probably use this guy or girl right now.”

“Yeah, you told me afterwards that this person is on a mission or something, but we really need to bolster our numbers a little to try and match Raiser’s peerage.” Ruby said. Rias, Akeno, Kiba and even Koneko began to fidget nervously, causing Ruby’s peerage and Issei to look on in confusion as the atmosphere started to change from tense to uncomfortable.

“Uh… Unfortunately, my other Bishop can’t participate. Anyway, we already have, like, three Bishops so another one would be overkill.” Rias explained as quickly as she could, not wanting to dwell on the subject.”

“But we coul-“ Weiss started before being interrupted.

 “Though there will be a time when I will talk about that in the near future.” Rias stated calmly.

“What is it ab-“ Asia started before also getting interrupted.

“It is for the future.”

“But Buchou-“

“ _For the_ _future_.”

“Ple-“

“ _FUTURE!_ ” Rias yelled out, which shut down any further questions. The RWBYs and Issei wont let the secret slide so easily, they _will_ find out who the mysterious Bishop is and why this person wouldn’t show up for something so important… or why Rias, or anyone else who knew about them, wouldn’t talk about it.

“Anyway…” Grayfia said, clearing her throat and ignoring the uncomfortable atmosphere. “This Rating Game battle will also be viewed by members of both households from a different location through broadcast.”

“Wait, so you mean Rias’ family’s gonna watch us?” Yang asked.

“As well as the Pheonix Clan.” Grayfia replied. “Maou Lucifer-sama will also be viewing this battle. Please do not forget about it.”

“Maou… Lucifer…?” Ruby muttered to herself. She still didn’t understand what a ‘Maou’ is. And like hell she understood all the shocked faces in the room.

“Maou!? Maou-sama!?” Issei exclaimed, wondering why a Maou was watching what essentially is a exhibition match.

“Onii-sama is?” Rias said with a sigh. “…I see, so Onii-sama is also going to view this battle.” This only further confused Ruby and Issei, thought for completely different reasons.

 “U-Umm, Buchou, you just called Maou-sama _Onii-sama_ …? Did I hear wrong?” Issei nervously asked, though there was a good chance that he did hear right.

“No, Buchou’s brother is indeed the Maou-sama.” Kiba spoke up in a tone that basically said that it was common knowledge among everyone. Well, other than Issei and Ruby.

“…What?” Ruby said flatly, still confused.

“Ruby? You didn’t know?” Weiss asked, genuinely surprised. Rias told everyone that during their study sessions. Though, now that she thought about it she didn’t remember Ruby being at the library much…

“M-Maoooooou!!? Buchou’s Onii-sama is Maou-sama!?” Issei shouted out as he started to freak out only to be slapped in the face by Yang. “Ow! Thanks.”

“You are welcome.” Yang said with a curtsey.

“Um… I’m still confused!” Ruby called out, raising her hand into the air. “What’s a Maou?”

“Wh-Wait, didn’t I teach you about that?” Rias asked. She swore she put it upon herself to teach the newer Devils about things they really should know about Devils. Hell, she even managed to teach _Pancakes_ and she was a basically a brick wall with the intelligence of said bricks.

“I was busy making everyone weapons and strategies and training and stuff!” Ruby cried out, her silver eyes glistening and looking like she was caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar. A face Rias was very familiar with during their stay at the mansion. Rias couldn’t help but face palm. She knew she was forgetting something during those ten days.

“King Ruby, would you like me to give you a summary of what we learned?” Penny asked.

“Uh… not really.” Ruby admitted. “I don’t think it will be that important.”

“Do we have time?” Rias asked Grayfia, who only nodded. “Don’t worry Penny-san, I got this. Yang, our greatest enemy. The Angels led by God. What is the name given to the highest rank Angels? Also the ones among them?”

“Ummm, Seraphim!” Yang answered. “The members are... Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and... er… Uriel?”

“Correct. What are the names of the ‘Yondai Maou-sama’, Issei-kun?”

“Lucifer-sama, Beelzebub-sama, Asmodeus-sama and the female Maou-sama Leviathan-sama!” Issei quickly answered with a proud smile on his face.

“Nice. Now say the names of the leaders of the Fallen Angels that you know, Pancakes.” Rias ordered.

“The main group of the Fallen Angel is called ‘Grigori’. The name of the Governor is ‘Azazel’ and the name of the Vice-governor is ‘Shemhaza’. And the names of the leaders are Armaros, Barakiel, Tamiel, Benemue, Kokabiel and Shariel.” Pancakes answered in her usual flat and emotionless tone.

“You’ve all been paying attention.” Rias said with a smile, honestly impressed by Issei’s knowledge now before turning to Ruby. “I don’t have to remind you how knowledge, even tiny bits of information, is important so please come next time. By the way, _Maou_ means _the_ Devil or the Devil King. And Issei here just recited the Yondai Maou, otherwise known as the Four Great Satans or the rulers of the Underworld, from memory.”

“Okay! Okay! I get it. You don’t have to rub it in…” Ruby grumbled to herself.

“By the way…” Issei said as he looked at the club president.

“Are you confused because Buchou’s family name is different to the names of Maou-samas'?” Kiba guessed. Issei couldn’t help but be bummed out about Kiba guessing his question correctly.

“Yeah, that’s it.” Issei said in defeat.

“In the previous Great War, the Maou-samas were in a critical condition, and had passed away a long time ago. But there would be no Devils if there aren’t any Maou-samas.” Kiba explained.

“That’s why the Devils decided to keep the names of the Maous and let it be inherited to the ones with enormous powers.” Blake continued, having read this in one of the books from the library in the mansion. “So the current Four Great Maous are the Ultimate-class Devils that are the successors of the first generation Maous that has inherited their names.”

“So names like Lucifer and Beelzebub, they’re more like manager positions, job titles?” Ruby guessed.

“Yes. But to tell you the truth, out of the three factions of the God, the Fallen Angels and the Devils, the Devils have the least power.” Akeno replied. “We are actually in quite a tight spot, but we are still safe because the current Maou-samas have a power equal to their predecessors.”

“So Buchou’s brother was chosen to be a Maou from the Ultimate-class Devils then?” Issei asked. Kiba nodded.

“Sirzechs Lucifer—also known as the _Crimson Satan_.” Kiba stated. “He is Buchou’s brother and the most powerful Maou-sama.”

“So, he isn’t considered a real Gremory anymore then…” Blake guessed.

“…And that’s why Buchou needs to inherit her household.” Issei muttered, little bit of bitterness entering his tone.

“Well then, let’s give these guys a show.” Ruby said with a smirk.

“It’s time. Everyone, please step into the Summoning Circle.” Grayfia urged the combined peerages. One by one, the group set foot into the Summoning Circle without a second thought, though they had to squeeze together for everyone to fit in. “Also, once you get transported, you cannot use Summoning Circles until the Game ends.”

“Wait, what!?” Weiss exclaimed as the RWBYs’ eyes widened as the Summoning Circle changed symbols from the Gremory-clan symbol to one used specifically for Rating Games started. The light emitting for it was growing brighter every second. “Does that me-“

And before Weiss could finish her sentence, the light engulfed them and transported them to their arena.

“The Rating Games…” Grayfia mumbled to herself, standing in the now empty room. She hoped whatever happens… it would be for the better. “…has begun.”

(Rating Games Arena)

“-an my…” Weiss trailed off as everyone else stepped out of the now-useless Summoning Circle, taking a quick observation of their surroundings. “Um… what the…”

“Isn’t this the clubroom…?” Ruby thought out loud, looking really confused. “Did something go wrong?”

“My scanners are indicating that Queen Grayfia is not in the area.” Penny reported. “Strange.”

“Hey… you don’t think…” Issei started to speak up, only for a voice to interrupt him.

[Hello everyone.] Grayfia’s voice came out of the intercom, the quality of the sound doing nothing to deteriorate her serious and somewhat scary-to-some tone in her voice. [I am Grayfia, a maid from the House of Gremory and today I will be the arbiter of the Rating Game. This Game will be the combined forces of House of Gremory and Team Nokori against the House of Phoenix. Please note and remember that the House of Gremory has been given a handicap: Should Rias-sama or Ruby-sama fall or forfeit, the House of Pheonix will win.]

“Team… _Nokori_?” Ruby repeated as she looked at Rias. She was wondering why there were some words and phrases she couldn’t translate despite a Devil’s ability to communicate with all languages.

“Team Remnant.” Rias translated. “You aren’t an actual house, part of an important family, or even officially recognized as a King yet. This is a compromise.”

“Well, at least we’re representing our home town.” Yang said. “Or… home _planet_ in this case.” She looked at Weiss, Blake and Penny. “Remnant is a different planet right?” They only shrugged in response.

[In the name of my Master, Sirzechs Lucifer, I will be keeping my eye on this match.] Grayfia continued announcing. [By using both Rias-sama and Raiser-sama’s opinion, we created this battlefield which is a replica of the school, Kuoh Academy, which Rias-sama attends to in the human world.]

“A replica, huh?” Blake mumbled to herself as she studied every detail of the room. She literally couldn’t tell the difference. Though, the sky being completely white was a dead giveaway meant that it wasn’t the same clubroom she was familiar with. “And they say they’re the weakest…?”

[The location where both teams were transported will be their _base_.] Grayfia announced. [Rias-sama and Ruby-sama’s _base_ would be the Occult Research Cub’s clubroom located in the old school building. Raiser-sama’s _base_ would be the Student Council’s room located in the new building. For the Pawns to use “Promotion”, please head to the enemy’s base to do so.]

“So Issei and Pancakes can only promote in the school.” Ruby said, already picking out a decent enough strategy. “You guys got that?”

“Yes, Mistress.” Pancakes replied with a bow.

“Of course.” Issei said. He forgot Yu-Ray- _Pancakes_ was still here. She was so damn quiet and her face just made Issei really uncomfortable to be around her.

“Everyone, will you all please put this transceiver in your ears.” Rias said as Akeno passed out the transceivers to everyone in the room while the Crimson Ruin Princess herself put on her own earpiece. “At the battlefield, we will be using this to communicate with each other.”

“Nice.” Ruby said as she put her one on. ‘I can command Pancakes even without me being with her physically. Maybe I should keep this thing after this is over…’ Ruby thought, a devious smirk on her face as she covered her ears with her hair. No point in letting their enemies know what she’s using to communicate with everyone else.

“What’s the frequency?” Penny asked as Akeno gave her an earpiece.

“140.15.” Akeno answered. “Wait, why?”

“Well, looks like I will not need this then!” Penny cheerfully said as she threw away the earpiece, rolled up her right sleeve, opened up a hidden hatch and tinkered around a little before shutting it and pressing her left earlobe. “ ** _Testing... testing… one, two, three. One, two, three._** ”

“ ** _That was kinda obvious in hindsight._** ” Rias admitted; making sure her transceiver was loud and clear as Koneko promptly smashed Penny’s earpiece into bits.

“ ** _Just don’t scream into the microphone, people._** ” Weiss said, also testing out her own transceiver. “ ** _I’d rather be dead than deaf._** ”

“ ** _We are_ literally _standing not even two feet away from each other._** ” Blake deadpanned at their method of communication at the moment.

“ ** _What was that, Blake? I didn’t quite catch that; you may want to say ‘over’ after you’re done talking. Over._** ” Yang joked as Blake just sighed at her partner’s immaturity.

“ ** _Issei-san… Ruby-san… do I really have to say ‘over’ every time I use this… thingy? O-Over._** ” Asia asked cutely.

“ ** _I don’t think that’s necessary Asia-san._** ” Issei said. “ ** _But if you’re ever in danger, don’t hesitate to call for any of us got it? We’ll be there as soon as we can no matter what._** ” Feeling the weight of her shield on her back, Asia nodded and hoped she could be useful in the Rating Game.

[Now it’s the time for the commencement of the battle.] Grayfia’s voice rang out. [Also, this match will continue till dawn in human time. So, the Game starts now!] And with that announcement, the school bell rang, officially starting the Rating Game.

“Looks like class is in session.” Yang punned, causing Blake to groan.

“Aw… don’t be like that, Blake.” Rias said. “Besides, what’s a more appropriate place to teach Raiser a lesson than to be here at school?”

“And what lesson is that, exactly?” Weiss asked. Rias smirked while Akeno couldn’t help but giggle, knowing the answer already.

“Don’t _fuck_ with Rias Gremory.”

(Several minutes later…)

“Alright, first off we have to take care of all of Raiser’s Pawns!” Ruby loudly declared, the only one standing up to slam her hands onto the table. It also allowed Issei to take a quick peek at his friend’s panties, though he stopped when he saw Yang. Everyone had taken a seat and were drinking tea, which Akeno and Pancakes provided.

‘We’re in the middle of a match, you know…?’ Issei thought as he sipped some more tea.

“If we allow Raiser’s Pawns to promote, surely they’ll promote to Queens, and then we’ll have a real problem.” Rias said calmly.

“B-Buchou, you seem pretty calm…” Issei noted. He was feeling a little paranoid. At anytime Raiser’s peerage could attack and utterly destroy them before they even take one step outside the building.

“Issei, the battle just started.” Rias explained. “The Rating Game is originally a game that doesn’t finish in a short time. There are times when it becomes a blitz, but mostly it’s a game that takes very long. Just like the actual chess game.”

“Then why don’t we just rush ‘em right now?” Yang suggested. “Take ‘em by surprise while they’re still planning?”

“Yang, that’s suicide.” Weiss pointed out. “Brute force alone won’t win the fight and we might be hurting each other more than hurting the enemy. If we do that, it’s all or nothing. Seriously, Yang, have you not played a single game of chess? We weaken the enemy’s forces first before we go after the King. Cutting off supplies, or in this case, eliminating his numbers advantage.”

“That sounds like a common military strategy.” Penny spoke up. “I assume you know that thanks to living in Atlas?”

“Eh, you pick up a thing or two.” Weiss replied.

“Anyway, the Rating Game has meaning only if you use the battlefield to the fullest.” Rias continued. “Usually the base would be a fortress, a castle or even a tower. There are forests and rivers between the two bases and we battle using those areas. This time the school is our stage.”

“By the way, nice selection for our battlefield.” Ruby admitted. “We have a home field advantage so we should know the school better than they do?”

“Isn’t that cheating though?” Issei pointed out. “It’s not like a sports stadium where the fields are practically the same.”

“Why are you complaining?” Yang asked.

“I’m not, just pointing out something.” Issei quickly replied.

“Issei, do I have to remind you? We’re Devils; we don’t have to play completely fair.” Rias said with a smirk before looking at Kiba. “Yuuto.” Kiba nodded and pulled out the blueprints of the school and spread it out on the table. Ruby and Issei quickly noticed that there was a grid overlay on it, almost like a chessboard. Rias pulled out a red pen and drew circles around the old school building and the main school building. “There’s a forest near our base. It’s safe to assume that this is also our territory. In other words the new school building would be Raiser’s territory. It’s quite possible that there will be an ambush when you enter their territory. The school field is visible from the new school building, so it’s dangerous to pass through here.”

“Plus, we can’t all fly over there so we have to head to Raiser’s territory by foot.” Blake spoke up, letting her wings out for a few seconds.

“And assuming my Teleport glyphs are useless here, we can’t just teleport into the building.” Weiss said. “Are there any other ways into the main school? Otherwise we may as well forfeit if we go through sports grounds.”

“Ugh, no matter what, Raiser’s going to place some of his pieces on the damn sports grounds.” Ruby muttered. “Most likely Knights and Pawns, maybe a Rook to play defense. Either way, he’ll have control of the entire field. And while we could split up, I can’t see any alternate paths we can take directly to the new school building. Plus, I’m not too confident in splitting up anyway.”

“How about the gym near the old school building?” Kiba suggested. “Shouldn’t we occupy that location first? If we capture it here then we will have a route to the new school building. The gym is a passage to both of the buildings so we could also restrain the enemy’s movements.”

“Yes, I also have the same opinion.” Rias said with a nod. “First we will capture the gym. In terms of location, the opponent may have his Rook positioned there.”

“Since it’s indoors, powerhouses would definitely shine there over faster opponents. Less space equals more damage.” Ruby muttered. “So it would be best for our Rooks to take over the gym. Yang, Koneko, you think you can do that?”

“Don’t worry, we’ll do it in a flash.” Yang said as Koneko nodded in response.

“But first, we need to make sure our base is safe.” Rias said. “Yuuto and Koneko, you two set traps in the forest. Take another map with you and make sure you mark the places where you set the traps in. I will make a copy afterwards and hand it to everyone. The last thing we want is to fall to our own devices.”

“Yes, Buchou.” Kiba said with a salute.

“…Rodger.” Koneko replied quietly as Rias’ Knight and Rook left the room.

“Blake, Pancakes, scout out the gym and tell us if we’re expecting company.” Ruby ordered. “Don’t even leave behind a shadow. You’re gonna be our scouting team until I say to join the fight.”

“You got it, Ruby.” Blake said as she vanished.

“As you wish Mistress.” Pancakes responded with a bow before opening a window and jumping out, her black wings allowing her to take to the skies.

“I will go as well.” Penny said as she started walking out the room. “I can use my sensors just in case of illusions.”

“Thanks Penny.” Ruby said, feeling confident in this plan.

“Alright, after Yuuto and Koneko can you cast illusions and mists around the forest and the sky?” Rias asked her Queen. “A trap for Raiser’s group. That’s how the match will start, though it seems like this battle will become intense midway through it. So, I’ll leave the issue regarding the mists and the illusions to you, Akeno.”

“I’ll go with her.” Weiss spoke up. “I know a few glyphs that might help, and will allow me to safely test if my Teleportation glyphs are disabled.”

“Then we’ll get on that as soon as we can, Buchou.” Akeno said.

“U-Umm, Buchou? What am I supposed to do?” Issei nervously asked.

“Well, we’re gonna need an assault team and other than Pancakes, you’re the only Pawn.” Ruby answered. “Yang, you and I are gonna be in it definitely.”

“Wait, you’re gonna be in the assault team!?” Yang exclaimed. “Ruby, if you go down, we all lose.”

“I know but I’m not that much of a commander.” Ruby admitted. “I’m more of a field team leader.”

“Ruby, are you sure?” Rias asked with a frown on her face. “If it comes down to it, it’ll just me and you against Raiser. If you’re too weak to fight we’ll surely lose. You’ll die.” There was a silence as everyone in the room was reminded of the stakes.

“…Trust me, Prez.” Ruby said softly. “I won’t lose that easily.” Rias clenched her hands into fists before relaxing. She could let what happened bother her, or else she would endanger hers and Ruby’s peerages. She needed to focus.

“Alright, but when I say run you run as fast as you can.” Rias said with a sigh of defeat.

“Okay…” Ruby said with a nod. More than likely she wouldn’t, but if it got Rias off her back… “Anyway, we only have roughly 6 or 7 hours until dawn. So everyone prepare for the long haul.” Ruby announced. “Now, do we have any snacks?”

(Some time later…)

“Scouting Team, report in.” Ruby said as the combined peerage of the Gremorys and Roses walked out of the clubroom. “What do you know?”

“ ** _Ruby, I see two people in the gym right now._** ” Blake reported in. “ ** _A pair of twins. Don’t know what Evil Piece they are but they are wielding chainsaws._** ”

“ ** _I can confirm with Knight Blake._** ” Penny spoke up. “ ** _Be careful, Friend Ruby._** ”

“Thanks. Get out of the area now and start scouting out the main school building.” Ruby said, letting out a breath of relief. “Pancakes, what can you see from your view?”

“ ** _Nothing yet, Mistress._** ” Pancakes said.

“Okay, just keep yourself in the air and keep me posted.” Ruby ordered. “If there’s anyone coming to my location, do not hesitate to inform me.”

“ ** _Of course, Ruby-sama._** ” Pancakes said before cutting off her connection.

“Alright!” Issei shouted out as soon as they went outside.

“Huh, and I thought you were nervous earlier.” Yang noted.

“Buchou released a little bit of my seal on me.” Issei explained. “My body couldn’t handle my Sacred Gear at first, but now I can tap into a little bit more of its power thanks to all that training!”

“That’s great!” Ruby said. “You think we can pull _it_ off?”

“I don’t think so. Buchou said I’m still lacking in areas.” Issei admitted. “But I’m ready to kick ass and take names! That should enough.” Rias couldn’t help but giggle at her only Pawn’s antics.

“Hey Ruby, what did your scouts say?” Rias asked.

“They said there are already people at the gym.” Ruby answered. “Two people with chainsaws.”

“Eh, nothing we can’t handle.” Yang said as she cracked her knuckles.

“ ** _That’s easy for you to say._** ” Weiss grumbled over the transceiver. She was still out in the forest, telling Akeno to go ahead and promising to meet up later for some reason. “ ** _By the way, you left your mic on. Switch it from toggle._** ”

“Oh, sorry.” Yang apologized before switching settings on her transceiver.

“ ** _King Ruby, it seems we have forgotten something._** ” Penny spoke up. “ ** _Did we not synch up our Aura levels with our mobile devices?_** ”

“Already took care of that on the way to school.” Ruby said as pulled out her phone and checked the status and Aura levels of her teammates and Penny. As expected, everyone was at 100%.

“Okay people, enough talk.” Rias said, getting everyone’s attention. “Looks like you won’t be able to avoid the battle once you get into the gym. Move accordingly like we discussed. That location will be an important place to our plans.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Issei, Yang and Ruby called out while Koneko nodded quietly.

“Then I will be going as well.” Kiba said, approaching them from behind with his swords on his hips.

“Yuuto, move accordingly like we discussed.” Rias stated.

“Roger that.” Kiba replied with a bow.

“Don’t you think this is overkill?” Yang asked. “5 against 2 should tilt the odds to our favour.”

“With Ruby going with you guys, I’m not taking any chances.” Rias explained. “More likely than not, they will target Ruby first to end the Games as quick as possible. Actually, now that I think about it we could always use Ruby as bait…”

“Hey!” Ruby exclaimed indigently.

“Sorry, just a thought that came to me just now. Anyway, back to our plan. Asia will be on standby with me. But we will be going after we get a signal from Issei and the others. You _cannot_ be taken down. It will be over if we lose our healer.” Rias continued.

“Y-Yes!” Asia replied energetically despite her nervousness.

“I really need someone to learn how to heal my peerage now that I think about it…” Ruby muttered to herself, wondering who would play the healer just in case they went back to Remnant. ‘ _If_ we go back to Remnant.’ Ruby mentally added.

“Akeno, Weiss, I trust you to move when you two think it's the right time.” Rias said.

“Yes, Buchou.” Akeno said with a bow.

“ ** _You can count on us_**.” Weiss replied. “ ** _I’ll meet up with Akeno soon. I just need to do something first. It shouldn’t take me more than a few minutes._** ”

“Okay. We’re relying on you both so give it your all. Every second counts so you better hurry.” Ruby said as the magic users nodded.

“Now then, everyone. Are you ready? We can’t turn back now. Our enemy is Raiser, who is said to be a genius from the immortal House of the Phoenix with a promising career. Now then! Let’s go and blow them away!” Rias called out, determination in her voice. “Show him he’s not invincible! That he can _bleed_.”

“ ** _...Half of that was not encouraging._** ” Blake deadpanned. “ ** _At all._** ”

“ ** _Wait, did you just say_ immortal!?**” Weiss cried out, panic in her tone.

“Just say yes.” Rias said with a sigh.

“YES!” They all shouted, some rather hesitantly.

“Let’s go, Team RIAKKA-RWBYPP!” Ruby shouted out, pumping her fist into the air before slumping down as everyone just stared at her with unimpressed expressions on their faces. “…Hell, even I know that’s horrible. What kind for name can make up with an alphabet soup like that!?” (hint hint)

“ ** _Ruby, the Rating Game_**.” Weiss kindly reminded her leader and King in a flat tone.

“Oh, right.” Ruby said, feeling a little embarrassed. “Everyone! Let’s do our best!”

“Right!” Everyone called out before everyone there headed out to do their tasks leaving behind Ruby, Issei, Koneko and Kiba.

“Alright, we have to take the gym from Raiser! Let’s hurry!” Issei declared. With a series of confident nods, they ran towards their destination.

“Kiba, I think it’s time!” Ruby shouted out after running a fair distance. They had a plan that involved the Prince of Kuoh to split off from the main group.

“We’re counting on you, Yuuto!” Yang said.

“Then I will be waiting for you ahead!” Kiba called out before increasing his pace, out-running the Rooks, Ruby and Issei. Ruby could’ve caught up easily, but that would mean she would leave her bodyguards behind.

“Yeah, you just do that!” Issei replied. Kiba just waved good-bye before running faster than they could see. “I can see the gym!”

“…Quiet down.” Koneko quietly scolded the Pawn.

“You said there were two people in there with chainsaws, right?” Yang asked her King.

“Yep.” Ruby confirmed. “Pair of twins by our scouting team’s report. You think you can take ‘em?”

“Look at who you’re talking to.” Yang replied, her eye flashing red. “I’ve been wanting to fight for a while, Ruby. I think I’m getting out of practice.”

“You’ll get your practice now, because we’re here.” Ruby said, causing everyone to stop in front of the gym. “Pancakes, you have visuals on us and the area around?”

“ ** _Yes, Mistress, I can see you and the area around._** ” Pancakes reported in.

“Nice. Now…” Ruby said as she pulled out Crescent Rose, not wanting to use Death Rose just yet as, holding back her trump card. “Let’s start this off with a bang.”

And with that, they walked towards the gym, ready for the fight of their lives.

To fight _for_ their lives...


	17. A Simple Rating Game 2

“Ruby, what’s the plan?” Issei asked as they approached the gym entrance.

“Well, I’m not sure really,” Ruby answered honestly. “I’m going between doing an all-out assault and catching them off-guard, or waiting and watching. See what these people can do. I just need a little bit more information to get a real battle strategy together. All we know is that we’re dealing with twins, and I have a feeling Raiser specifically trained them to have perfect synergy with each other.”

“I think I remember seeing those twins…” Yang growled, going back to their first meeting with the bastard. “They’re pretty small if I’m right. We could easily overpower them.”

“They could be Rooks.” Koneko pointed out. “Or worse, Knights.”

“Well, I should be able to match Knights, if not outright surpass them…” Ruby mumbled to herself, confident her Semblance could keep up with Raiser’s Knights. Hopefully. “But we always have our scouting team as a backup in case things get hairy.”

“It’s just two people against us four. How much trouble can they make for us?” Yang said, opening the doors. Koneko sighed at the Brawler’s underestimation of their opponents. “Just stay behind us, Ruby. We got this.”

“If you say so…” Ruby said, mind whirring as she tried to get a sound strategy together.

“We know you are there, servants of Gremory and Rose! We watched you coming inside!” A woman’s voice echoed out. Ruby winced.

“We should’ve known they were expecting us…” Ruby muttered. “If they were smart, they set an ambush. Keep sharp people.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll play bodyguard just in case,” Issei said with a wink, wiping sweat from his brow as heat radiated from Yang. As they entered the gym, they saw four of Raiser’s Pieces standing in the court. A woman in a Chinese dress, a pair of twins in bloomers, and a small girl with a stick. Issei frowned at her, recognizing her as the one who knocked him down at the meeting.

“I thought you said there were only the twins?” Yang whispered to her sister.

“Damn, shouldn’t have sent the scouting team out early.” Ruby cursed. Taking a deep breath, she whispered to her team. “We can still handle it. Alright, their Pieces are…” She muttered to herself, trying to remember from their planning which girl was what Piece.

“Three Pawns, one Rook.” Issei quietly reminded Ruby. “It’s pretty even… Boosted Gear, go on standby.”

**BOOST!**

“Hmph!” The girl in the Chinese dress, the only Rook, said as she took a step forward. “It’s very reckless for you to let one of your Kings into the frontlines of battle. Are you really itching to lose this fast?”

“What can I say? I’m not the one sitting back and letting my whores do all the work.” Ruby taunted, resting a hand on her hip.

“Taunt me and insult my King all you want, but this Rating Game has already been decided.” The Rook said as she shifted into a martial arts stance. “Only two Kings need to be left standing in this Game for us to win, and I’ll gladly make sure there’s only two.”

“Yeah, I’ll make sure there’s only two standing,” Yang said as she rolled her neck. “I can take ‘em.”

“No, Yang. Take care of the Pawns.” Ruby ordered, studying the woman’s body. She had a much leaner build than Ruby was expecting. “I’m not risking you facing another fighter, and she looks more agile than you.”

“…Then I’ll deal with the Rook.” Koneko said as she tightened her gloves.

“I’ll help Yang out then,” Issei said, his Sacred Gear glowing with power. “Stay back, Ruby!”

“No way,” Ruby said as she chambered a round into Crescent Rose. “This is our fight, not just yours. Let’s do this!”

Yang let out a wordless roar as she spearheaded the charge against their opponents. The Rook braced herself, the girl with the stick, Mira, readied her weapon. The twins grinned maliciously, pulling out spiked, blue chainsaws.

“Disassembly time~” They sung out with happy expressions on their faces.

“LITTLE GIRLS SHOULD NOT HAVE THOSE THINGS!” Issei yelled out as Koneko began her engagement with the Rook, but before the first punch could be thrown she was forced to dodge a decapitating strike and a stick. “They are way too happy about this!”

“Glad Ice Queen isn’t here!” Yang called out, dodging a swing from one of the twins and countering with a punch, only to whiff it and quickly block another chainsaw with her new gauntlets. “Hey! These are new! Don’t mess up the paint job!”

“We’ll fix it with your blood!” The twin who was trying to cut through War grinned happily. Pushing off the offending piece of armor, the little girl twisted her weapon faster than humanly possible and sliced through Ruby’s bullet. “Not going to work.”

“Hey, I’m the one you want! Come and get me!” Ruby tried to focus their attention on her. Their swings were fast, especially for the weapon of their choice, but she could easily dodge it. If they're focused on her, Issei and Yang could surprise them.

“Sorry, but we won’t fall for that! Besides, Raiser-sama wants to fight you!” The other twin said, before both focused solely on Yang, their chainsaws dragging across the floor as they rushed her.

“Huh?” Ruby said, stunned. She decided not to worry about it for now; Yang could take them on and the Game just started. She reminded herself it would be better if she played support more, as everyone here were close range fighters while she was mid-to-long range. Rushing off to the ceiling and sitting on top of a steel beam, she adjusted her scope and took aim.

Meanwhile, Issei was dealing with Mira and her stick. He was barely dodging her attacks and couldn’t counter. If it wasn’t for his training he would already be out. “C’mon Issei, find an opening!” He told himself as he kept dodging.

“ ** _Issei, duck!_** ” Ruby said over the radio. Issei didn’t hesitate and rolled out of the way, just as Ruby took a shot. Mira just dodged the bullet without breaking a sweat. She never saw Issei send a right hook to her cheek. Mira went rolling across the floor, and before she could recover, Issei went for a left hook, which she blocked. She grinned, but saw stars as a heavy punch shattered her nose and a shoulder shoved her hard into the ground. “ ** _Nice one! Keep it up!_** ”

“Woo! Thanks!” Issei said as he waved at Ruby. A more experience fighter wouldn’t have gotten distracted, but Issei isn't. The next thing he knew, he had a clear view of the ceiling as his legs were not too gently knocked from under him. “Damn it!” He swore as he rolled over to dodge a swing before getting up to engage Mira again. Her eyes were watering, blurring her vision, and blood dripped from her crocked nose. Issei smirked, despite crying inside for messing up such a cute girl’s face, as he went on the offensive.

Ruby, now focusing her attention to Koneko, which wasn’t hard considering every blow could be felt as the room shook. It looked like she didn’t need help. If all else, she would screw up Koneko’s battle and make her lose. She decided to focus on Yang and…

“Damn it!” Ruby swore in disbelief. Yang was _losing_. The twins’ attacks were too quick to dodge, their bodies too small for Yang to get a good hit on, and her sister’s clothes were not going to keep her decent for much longer. She could barely keep up. If one twin attacked, she would block her before leaving herself open to the other. It was a miracle they didn’t even cut her hair yet. Yang’s Aura levels were painfully low, she was in the red, and Ruby cursed herself for not noticing. “ ** _Yang, you better do something before I have to interfere. You’re getting low!_** ”

“No! Stay where you are! I got this!” Yang said as she held back the chainsaws with her bare hands. “Come on, Bloodlust! Hurry up and do something already!” She called out to her Sacred Gear. “Any time now! Like right now!” Yang then threw the chainsaws away and fired her flamethrower at them to give her some space. “FINE!” Yang shouted out before pounding her fists together, her Aura flaring around her like flames as her eyes went blood red. “Let’s do it the old fashion way.” She decided as her Semblance kicked in, transforming her pain to soon-to-be their pain.

“Oh! I think we made her angry!” One of the twins called out. “Should we do it now?”

“Hm… Yep!” The other said before they both charged at her. “Attack!”

“Bring it ya loli chainsaw freaks!” Yang roared back as she rushed in with the fiery aura surrounding her.

“Ahahaha!” The twin laughed out in unison with their chainsaw raised in the air. “Murder Time Fun Time~!” They happily sang in twisted delight.

Yang’s eyes were still red as she prepared to deliver a punch right at one of the chainsaws blunt sides.

“Yang-senpai!” Koneko’s voice called out followed by running footsteps.

**WHAM!**

The blonde brawler was suddenly struck in the chest by a surprise kick from Raiser’s Rook, she felt her lungs lose all her air as she was sent flying into the wall.

**CRASH!**

“HUH!? HEY!” Issei roared out in anger as he dashed at the girl.

To this development, Mira went in and swept his legs and dropped Issei using her pole. “You’re open!” She declared as she went to strike the boy with a downward strike, forcing him to roll out of the way. Another Sacred Gear user supporting another was bad news, no matter how weak the guy was, so she had to keep him distracted long enough for the final blow.

Koneko meanwhile, caught up to her target as she glared at her fellow Rook and engaged in combat once more.

“YANG!” Ruby called out to witnessing this as she began to fire at the twins.

“AHAHAHAHAH!” The twins meanwhile laughed out while dodging the bullets. “Too slow too slow!” They taunted as they once more rushed towards the blonde.

Yang was able to rip herself out of the wall, destroying a good chunk in the process. Her eyes fell on the Rook Koneko was fighting. “Bitch...” She snorted smoke in anger, but the guttural growls of two chainsaws drew her attention. Yang saw red. “It is _on!_ ” She managed to force out as she descended into a fury of fists and rage filled roars.

“ ** _Watch it, Yang! They’re all going after you!_** ” Ruby informed as she kept up her barrage at the chainsaw users. It wasn’t a good idea to get in Yang’s way when she’s in that state so all she could do was fire her gun.

“On it!” The blonde replied just as one of the two got close. “Che!” She got out as she prepared another punch to the blunt part of the chainsaw.

“Nuh uh!” The other girl, however, said as she came from the blonde’s other side, getting a strike in that struck at some of Yang’s skin at her waist, drawing blood.

“Gah!” Yang grunted as she twisted to punch the attacker.

“Omph! Yang-senpai! Watch out!” Koneko’s voice called out once more as she was thrown to the ground again.

**BAM!**

“Too slow again!” Raiser’s Rook suddenly declared as she punched the blonde in the face, sending her flying.

Mira rammed her stick into Issei's stomach. Bracing himself and crossing his arms, Issei blocked a blow that never came. Mira had ran; towards the falling blonde.

“WHAT THE-!?” Issei got shouted as he chased after the girl.

“This is the end!” Mira shouted out…

**CRACK!**

…Landing a huge blow to Yang’s face before she hit the ground.

“YANG!” Ruby screamed out as she saw her sister disappear in a flash of light. “No no no! This wasn’t supposed to happen! NO!” She cried out as she barely contained her Power of Suffering.

[Ruby-sama’s Rook has been retired.] Grayfia’s voice echoed around the entire battlefield.

“One down, all of them to go!” The twins cheered out.

“Well, with your main advantage down, the rest won’t be a problem,” Mira said with a smirk.

Ruby and Issei only glared at the group as Koneko cracked her knuckles.

“Argh…! **BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!** ” Issei shouted out before sprinting forward, faster than he’s ever been as Ruby appeared behind them in a blink of an eye.

Ruby screamed, tears in her eyes, before swinging Crescent Rose, barely missing their heads. Mira quickly went to block one of Issei’s fists, but nearly fell over as his fist simply went _through_ her weapon, turning the section into sawdust as he snapped her stick in two. His fist continued until it impacted her face, leaving a red, glowing mark. “Issei, on your left!”

“Leave it to me.” Koneko said as she took the punch from the Chinese-dressed girl, grabbed her fist before throwing her over to Issei. The boy grabbed onto her shoulders and used it as leverage to flip over her and slam her face onto the ground. He jabbed his fist into her side when she tried to rise, placing a mark similar to the one he left on the former-stick wielder.

Ruby relentlessly attacked the twins, the superior Remnant-made metal putting deep dents, scratches and tears into the metal that was never designed for combat. With a clang not so dissimilar to a bell, the weapons broke. “Over here! Give ‘em to me!” Issei called out. Ruby didn’t hesitate, and fired her gun at both the twins, sending them towards the boy.

“Do it!” Ruby shouted out.

Issei smirked as he held out his fist and let the first twin fly straight into it clotheslining the petite girl, the other landed just at his feet. Grabbing her foot, he drove a haymaker into her gut. Both now possessed the glowing mark.

“No! We won’t lose! Raiser-sama will get mad at us!” Mira cried out as she slowly recovered, holding the halves of her sticks as lifelines. “We will never fall against some fake King!”

“Well, this fake King just beat you,” Ruby growled as she aimed her Sniper Rifle, but paused when a red-gauntlet clad hand lowered her weapon.

“Wait a minute, I got this,” Issei said as he stepped forward, confusing Koneko. Ruby shook her head, attempting to reign in her emotions and follow the plan.

“Hmph! What can you do against us?” The Chinese-dressed girl said arrogantly.

Suddenly, the atmosphere dropped a few degrees as the lights dimmed. There was an evil, _lustful_ aura coming off of the pervert as he chuckled evilly as he unleashed his Devil wings. If there was Latin chanting, it would complete the effect that what Issei would inflict on them would destroy their very soul.

“Only my newest, ultimate technique!” Issei laughed out like a madman before holding up his armored hand. “This. _This,_ is a warning to all member of Raiser’s peerage. _Dress Break_!”

_SNAP!_

Suddenly, the sounds of ripping and tearing clothes filled the air as the marked girls quickly went to cover their exposed genitalia. “NNNNOOOOO!” They all wailed out as they collapsed onto the floor.

"Mwahahahaha! How is it!? This is my technique! And the name is ‘Dress Break’!” Issei announced, his nose bleeding as Ruby just stared in awe while Koneko’s expression was unchanged. “I just kept on imaging the girl's clothes getting blown away into pieces! I spent all of my demonic-power talent into making all of the girls naked!”

“…This was your secret training? That’s why you used your Devil energy for peeling stuff all this time!?” Ruby said through gritted teeth as her eye twitched at the sight, causing Issei to sweat. “THIS!?”

“B-But Asia-san gl-gladly pro-p-provided c-consent and I shouldn’t have said th-GACK!” Issei was then interrupted by Ruby choking him with Crescent Rose.

“Yeah! Choke him out! He’s the enemy to all women!” Mira cheered for her enemy.

“Beast! Sex fiend! Light Novel protagonist!” One of the twins shouted out.

“I… accept that…!” Issei wheezed out.

“…I misjudged you.” Koneko said flatly.

“Why… Koneko-chan…?” Issei got out, feeling his heart getting stabbed before Ruby let him breathe.

“ ** _Ruby, Issei, Koneko! Can you hear me? It’s Rias._** ” Rias’ voice said over their radios.

“Yeah, we hear you loud and clear,” Ruby said with a sigh. “Damn it! We already lost Yang!”

“ ** _We heard. Looks like we have to change our plans…_** ” Rias grumbled. “ ** _But, Phase 1 can still go through. Weiss and Akeno are ready and they confirmed to me that they gave the signal to Pancakes. Move, now!_** ”

“Got it, Prez,” Ruby said before shutting off her radio and looking at the puddle of Yang’s blood on the court. “Come on, we gotta get moving.” With a nod, the remaining assault team started running for the exit.

“W-Wait! Where are you going!?” Mira called out. “Isn’t this location important!?”

“Yep!” Ruby said as she mockingly saluted the four as they all stood in the exit doorway. “By the way, look up.”

“Huh?” Was the very last thing they heard before a massive bolt of lightning hit the gym turning it and the surrounding area to ash as Ruby, Issei, and Koneko jumped as far as they could away from the destruction of the gym.

[3 Pawns and 1 Rook from Raiser-sama’s peerage have been retired!] Grayfia announced.

Ruby smirked as she wiped the dirt from her clothes. Despite losing Yang and the pain it brought with, it was still worth the elimination of four members from the enemy. They now had a numbers advantage in their favor. It was going to take a while for Akeno and Weiss to recharge but right now, her and Rias’ combined peerage were winning. That reminded her of something. She quickly switched on her radio.

“Pancakes, are you okay? Did you get the signal in time?” Ruby said. All she got was static. “Pancakes, can you hear me? Pancakes? Raynare?”

“ ** _I… I’m sorry… Ruby-sama… Do not pity this lowly servant…_** ” Pancakes said over the radio. She sounded weak. “ ** _Someone is… coming…_** ”

[Ruby-sama’s only Pawn has been retired.] Grayfia announced not too soon after.

“Shit!” Ruby panicked. “Someone’s coming!”

“…Where?” Koneko asked as she and Issei turned to Ruby… just as Issei spotted a girl in a mage costume flying above Ruby’s head.

“RUBY!” Issei shouted out as he suddenly tackled her to the ground.

“Take this!” The mage said, before he and Ruby were blown back by the resulting explosion. Issei took most of the force as he used himself as a shield for the Human King.

“AAAHHH!” They cried out as they rolled away, wincing as debris from the gym dug into their skin.

“What was that!?” Issei called out.

“I don’t know!” Ruby replied before remembering.

Koneko.

“No no no…” Issei said as they both scrambled up to their feet when they saw Koneko’s defeated form. “No no no… stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” He chanted to himself as he slid off over to Koneko’s side. She was pretty messed up even with her enhanced defenses. Her uniform was burned and ripped apart, and she was barely keeping herself conscious. As Ruby fired at the one who caused this, Issei tried to keep Koneko awake. “Don’t worry, just stay awake! We can get you to Asia as soon as we can, Koneko-chan!”

“I-Issei…senpai…? Ruby-senpai…?” Koneko managed to get out.

“This isn’t good, this isn’t good…” Ruby said, realizing who she was trying to fight. “Issei, we need to get out of here! We can’t face her alone!”

“Wha-Shit! That’s the freaking Queen!” Issei shouted out as he picked up Koneko and he and Ruby jumped out of the way of another explosion.

"Fufufu. When you hunt a prey, it's best when the prey accomplished something because that's the time when the prey is most vulnerable.” The Queen taunted. “It's enough for us to ‘sacrifice’ our pieces in order to take down one of your pieces. Your group may have nearly as many as a regular peerage but even your combined power is nothing to us. And even if you defeat us, you cannot defeat Raiser-sama. It's useless to resist." She laughed out, causing Ruby’s anger to flare.

“SHUT UP!” Ruby shouted out as she fired more rounds at her, which she easily dodged before countering with another explosion aimed at Ruby. It was too fast for Ruby to dodge so she braced herself… just as a red-tinted glyph appeared right in front of her.

“Tch… Dolt.” Weiss said as soon as she teleported in front of her King and shielded her from the explosion. “Déjà vu, huh?”

“W-Weiss!” Ruby said.

“I’m so sorry we were late,” Weiss said sadly. “But I’m gonna make up for it. You and Issei go to the sports grounds and meet up with Kiba and Blake. Akeno and I will take care of the Queen.”

“But you’re drained of magic!” Ruby reminded her partner. “And she fires explosions!”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Weiss said. “I have plenty of Dust and plenty of Aura. We’ll catch up with you soon. We all have our roles, and this is mine. To protect the King at all costs! Now go!”

“But…” Ruby tried to reason, only to hear another announcement.

[Rias-sama’s Rook has been retired.] Grayfia announced, just as Ruby saw Issei punch the ground with his bare fist.

“Do you wanna lose? GO!” Weiss commanded as she teleported from Ruby to behind Yubelluna, the Queen, and tried to strike her as Akeno joined the fight.

“Grrr….! I’m not letting this chick walk after what she did to Koneko-chan!” Issei yelled out as he rolled up his sleeves as he was about to join the fray.

“Issei, they have this! Trust them!” Ruby said as she grabbed his shoulder. “Right now, our Knights need our help.”

“But-!”

“Blake and Kiba need our help, damn it!” Ruby snapped. “Either shut the fuck up and come with me or stay here and end up like Yang!”

"ARRRGH, Fine!" Issei shouted back. Both paused, panting slightly as they regained their breath and started thinking like rational beings again. “F…Fine… Okay… Stick to the plan.”

“Y-Yeah,” Ruby said before they both ran off to meet with Kiba. “…What did she do?” Issei clenched his fists as he remembered Koneko’s face, how he never wanted to see it again.

“She made her cry.” When they heard the bell ring again, they knew the midgame had just begun.

(Some time later…)

Elsewhere in the forest, Penny was scanning the area near the Gremory and Rose Base. “Hmm...” She hummed out before focusing on a group of bushes. “Come out, I can see you within those bushes with my sensors...” She calmly stated.

To that statement, the bushes rustled that bit before four girls, two girls in maid outfits and the other two were catgirls in skimpy sailor suits that barely covered any skin with one of them having red hair and the other having blue hair.

“And here I thought we would get the surprise attack on her Ni.” The blue haired catgirl got out with a small pout on her face.

“Doesn’t matter either way Li, she’ll fall just like the rest of her comrades will.” The red-haired cat girl declared.

“We should be lucky we’re close enough to their base.” One of the girls dressed as a maid stated.

“Yeah, it’ll be easier to take her out.” The other maid clad girl declared.

‘Sensors indicating...’ Penny thought.

“Promotion! Queen!” The four declared in unison.

Penny, in turn, blinked to this as she got into her battle stance. ‘Power increase to the level of a Queen...’ She then thought. ‘I won’t be able to beat them by myself… unless…’

“I’m sorry Ruby. Over-clocking systems…” Penny mumbled to herself before her eyes glowed green, her swords floating behind her back, staying static as energy built up in them as focal points. “I will not let you win, in the name of my friend and King! Even if I shut down, I’ll keep fighting until every single enemy of my friend is destroyed! My name is Penny Polendina, and I am combat ready!”

As the Pawns leaped at her, she fired.

(Meanwhile…)

“I really hope Buchou and Asia-san didn’t run into any trouble…” Issei mumbled to himself.

“If she did, she’s sure taking her sweet time in taking them down,” Ruby replied, right before seeing a giant green laser fire in the distance. Larger than the one from the docks.

[Four of Raiser-sama’s Pawns have been retired. I repeat; four of Raiser-sama’s Pawns have been retired.] Grayfia announced as the two grinned.

“Ha ha! We’re mowing through ‘em!” Issei laughed out. “And with fewer casualties on our side.”

“Don’t think we’ve won yet. And don’t jinx it.” Ruby giggled out before swearing at the next announcement.

[Ruby-sama’s Bishop has just been retired.] Ruby just shot the speaker before moving on. [I would like to remind everyone that these speakers cannot be broken, so please _do not shoot it, Ruby-sama_.]

“I hope Weiss and Akeno have finished with Raiser’s Queen already,” Ruby mumbled to herself before they were both pulled to the side. “WAH!”

“Shush. It’s just us.” Blake said as she and Kiba let go of the two. They were now in the storage room. It was hidden away from the rest of the grounds, they were using it as a rest spot.

“Oh… it’s just you guys…” Issei said as he got his breathing back to normal. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“Sorry, Issei-kun.” Kiba said his ever-present smile on his face.

“It’s okay… but… Yang, Koneko and Pancakes…” Ruby started as she winced.

“Yeah, those announcements are hard to miss,” Blake said, knowing that Ruby was probably blaming herself for everything. “Yang’s probably kicking herself right now. It’s not your fault. You knew the risks of playing decoy.”

“What about scouting? And what happened to Penny?” Ruby had to ask and it was Blake’s turn to wince.

“After scouting out the school, Penny and I went to help Kiba lure out some members out of the sports grounds. They knew the place was important to us so the leader there sent out Pawns only.” Blake explained.

“That’s when we heard about Pancakes and Koneko-san.” Kiba continued. “Penny-san told us to let her take care of them and head to our objective.”

“Well, I’m guessing she was expecting us if they didn’t bother sending more powerful Pieces.” Ruby guessed.

“Yes,” Kiba said with a sigh, though he was still smiling, his eyes said otherwise.

“From what we gathered. It seems his main strategy is sacrificing his Pieces to get to the King.” Blake said. “But this is what I don’t get. We still have us four, Asia, Rias, Weiss and Akeno and we still need to deal with one Pawn, one Rook, two Bishops, two Knights, his Queen and Raiser himself. This strategy is what I expect if Raiser was dealing with fewer Pieces like it should’ve been because of his immortality.”

“That’s really weird…” Issei admitted as he rubbed the back of his head.

“ ** _It’s because he thinks we’re weaker,_** ” Rias said over the radio. “ ** _That we’ll lose even if he doesn’t change anything about his usual plans. But… that means he doesn’t really care what happens to his servants… He’s going to keep throwing his peerage at us, wear us down until we can barely keep fighting. And then he’ll deal the finishing blow. Remember, everyone, we still have plenty of time before dawn. Rest if you need to and don’t push yourselves. We’re going to have to play the long game if we want to win this thing._** ”

“Of course, Rias-buchou,” Kiba said before shutting his radio off. “Let’s all rest for a few minutes and use that time to plan our next move. The Pieces in there are going to be a serious threat.”

“How serious are we talking?” Ruby questioned as they all sat down.

“One Knight, one Rook, one Bishop,” Blake answered. “Attack, Defense, and Magic.”

“Uh… that’s a really dangerous formation.” Issei spoke up.

"That's how much they are keeping up guard for this place, of our intrusion here,” Kiba said as Ruby pulled out some energy bars for everyone. “Since we eliminated the gym, they will put more strength here and more likely at other important positions."

“And considering we blew up the gym, it forced their Queen to come to the frontlines,” Issei said with a wince. “I have a feeling this is going to be a much more intense battle than the one in the gym.”

“Then it’ll probably be best if Ruby plays a support role for this fight,” Blake stated after swallowing her bar. “If things get rough, I really don’t want Ruby in the front. You okay with that, leader?”

“Well… if that’s what we’re talking about… may as well bring out the big guns.” Ruby said as she brought out Death Rose and loaded in a clip. “I’ll stay outside and do what I can but don’t expect me to sit out too long.”

“Good,” Blake said as she wiped off some dust off her clothes. “I think we’ve had enough rest. Let’s move.”

“Right!” Ruby said with a nod before becoming a red blur.

“Hey… you guys nervous?” Issei asked. Blake and Kiba just looked at the Pawn, causing him to blush red. “O-Of course! I basically have no battle experience! And now I'm here in an actual battle. I would be a grunt compared to both of you who are full of battle experience."

“…To be honest Issei… I am.” Blake admitted, shocking the boys. She didn’t even bother looking at the boys’ surprised looks. “Yeah, get it out of your system, especially where I come from but in reality, everyone’s a little scared, even trained warriors like Huntsmen and Huntresses. It’s just how much effort you need to hide it.”

“Huh?” Issei looked confused.

“Look, on my world… a life there isn’t certain. Every mission, every fight, every decision could change someone for better or for worse. And when you realize that, you can’t help but feel… scared.” Blake continued. “What if that person has a family that needs them? That loves them? Am I doing what’s right or am I being tricked? Are… Are you going to see the sun tomorrow or will you ever see your loved ones one last time? But that’s what keeps us going. It’s built in our instincts to survive, to fight as best as we can until there’s nothing to fight. It’s okay to be scared Issei because the brave ones are the ones who are afraid to fight but keep going anyway. That’s where your strength comes from.”

Issei and Kiba just looked at her silently.

“…You were expecting just a yes or no, weren’t you?” Blake deadpanned. Issei just nodded, causing Blake to sigh.

“It seems you’ve been asked that question before.” Kiba guessed.

“No, just had time to think,” Blake replied. “Plus, never thought I’d be dealing with an immortal douchebag with a harem of little girls. I swear, I think some of them are really pushing the limits of the law…”

“You know, never thought I’d get a fortune cookie out of this…” Issei mumbled to himself.

“Well then, Issei-kun. I guess I’ll cut to the chase.” Kiba said as he showed his hands to Blake and Issei.

“Dude! They’re shaking!” Issei exclaimed.

“Yes, they are…” Kiba said with a bright smile. “This is our first Rating Game, after all, one with major stakes on the line. Where there’s so much resting on our shoulders that I can barely handle it. And this is our first game. We can't show them even a slight opening in our guard. This is a match where we have to give it all we got as Buchou's servant Devils. It's something that will be important even in the future. I feel delighted and also scared. I don't want to forget the feeling of my hands' shaking. This feeling of being nervous. The intense atmosphere. I want to feel everything and make it my experience.”

Kiba then grabbed both Issei and Blake’s hands. “Let's all become strong together. So that nothing will stand in the way of our goals." Kiba said with a determined look on his face.

“ ** _You can count me in!_** ” Ruby called out over the radio.

“Yeah… let’s go out and do our best.” Blake said with a smile. However, Issei stayed silent. “Uh… Issei?”

“…Then let's do a combination that would make the girls get aroused!" The pervert declared before Blake slapped him to the ground.

"Hahaha! Does it mean that I'm the one who goes from behind?" Kiba chuckled out.

"Dumbass! If it's sticking in, then it's my job!” Issei shouted out, quickly recovering from the slap. “I mean no! Wait, I mean… Grrr….! **KKKKKKIIIIIIIBBBBBBBAAAAAAA!** " Blake held back Issei as he tried to attack Kiba.

“ ** _You_** **_better not do that Dress Break thing again!_** ” Ruby growled over the radio. “ ** _By the way, someone’s coming!_** ”

“Wait, Dress Break!? _Again_!? What the Hell did you do!?” Blake exclaimed before glaring at the pervert as he started stepping away from the angry cat girl.

This time it was Kiba’s turn to hold someone back from attacking their own teammate until a brave voice called out to them.

"I am the Knight of Raiser Phoenix-sama, Carlamaine!” The armored girl declared. “I've become bored of trying to sniff through each other's strategy! Rias Gremory and Ruby Rose's Knight! I challenge you to a duel!"

“Well then…” Blake muttered as she placed a hand on her hip as she looked at the female at the baseball field. “She’s either a very honorable person… or just plain stupid. We should probably rush her and get it over with.”

“But… she did introduce herself rather nicely and I am not one to abuse someone’s trust.” Kiba said with a sigh before smiling. “We best go introduce ourselves.” He said as he walked towards the field.

“Honor before reason…” Blake muttered.

“Dumbass,” Issei swore as they got out their respective weapons and followed the blonde Knight.

“I'm the Knight of Rias Gremory, Kiba Yuuto!" Kiba said with a bow.

"I'm the Pawn, Issei Hyoudou!" Issei called out as he got into a fighting stance.

“And I’m the Knight of Ruby Rose, Blake Belladonna!” Blake exclaimed as she aimed Shrouded Plague at Carlamaine. Said female Knight smirked at the three.

“I'm happy that there are warriors like you three in that group of yours. Coming directly from the front. That's something people with normal sanity won't do." Carlamaine said.

“What can I say? It hasn’t been a good few weeks, nya.” Blake deadpanned before blushing and reverted her appearance back to human. “P-Plus, we have more honor than that.”

“Other than this fight being two against one?” Carlamaine pointed out.

“Like I said; more honorable than most people,” Blake said as she settling into a battle stance. “Ruby, make sure we don’t have an audience.”

“And don’t try and help us. This is a match between us only.” Kiba added in.

“ ** _Already on it,_** ” Ruby said, scanning the field from her spot. “ ** _Go get ‘em, guys._** ”

“Like you need to ask,” Blake mumbled to herself as Kiba summoned his swords.

“Ah well, I love idiots like you,” Carlamaine said as she pulled out her sword. “Now, shall we start this duel?”

“Sorry, but this fight’s already over before it has even begun.” Blake taunted.

“A match of Knights…” Kiba chuckled out. “I’ve honestly been waiting for this. Go all out. Hold nothing back!” He called out as he went into an aggressive stance.

“Well said, Knights of Ruby Rose and Rias Gremory!” Carlamaine said. “Let this duel decide our fates!”

And with that, the Knights charged at each other at blinding speeds, solely focused on their foe and how they would destroy them.


	18. A Simple Rating Game 3

The Knights clashed at the blink of an eye, all of them unflinching as sparks flew between from their blades and their eyes, before pushing off each other for another strike. Issei couldn’t help but be stunned at the sight of the fight; to him, they were different coloured blurs with sounds of metal being scratched against each other. He only got more confused as more and more black blurs were joining in on the fray, and the armoured blur was taking them down like it was nothing while fending off the yellow blur.

Issei was now rather glad that he didn’t participate in this duel of Knights. He would’ve been destroyed in the blink of an eye.

Ruby, from a distance and through her scope, could barely keep up with what’s happening. The display of speed was astonishing, even for her. She couldn’t help but feel proud; Blake’s training had paid off big time. Blake’s speed was comparable to her Semblance and her reaction time and reflexes were on point. Sure, Blake didn’t have the stamina to last as long as her but having two speedsters on the team opened up a myriad of possible team attacks and strategies.

She absently wondered if they could create a hurricane if she and Blake ran fast enough before focusing back on the action… then freezing as she saw a rather troubling sight.

“ ** _Issei, don’t freak out but uh… look to your right._** ” Ruby informed over the radio.

“What?” Issei got out, looking confused.

“You seem bored.”

“Huh?” Issei turned his head to the direction of the voice… only to see two girls standing right next to him, casually watching the Knights fight each other.

Issei promptly freaked out.

“WHAT THE SHIT!?” Issei exclaimed as he jumped away from the two. “When the Hell did you two get here!?”

“A while ago.” The girl with a mask covering half her face answered in a flat tone. Issei and Ruby quickly recognized her as the remaining Rook they needed to take down. “Neither of you noticed us for like ten minutes. You and that gothic Red Riding Hood cosplayer camping out in the trees over there.”

“ ** _WHAT!?_** ” Ruby shouted out, causing Issei to wince. “ ** _Says the girl from a harem of cosplayers!_** ”

The other girl with twin drill hair and dressed like a medieval princess only shook her head at the duel occurring right in front of them. “Geez. She only thinks about swords, swords and swords and the occasional use of the word ‘blade’ to mix it up. This match looks like a mud fight.” She said, not even giving a sign that Issei exists. “You know, Carlamaine was making a bitter face when the Pawns were being sacrificed. Does she hate the battle strategy of her master, the King? But when I thought I found a cute boy, he was also a sword freak. Geez, what bad luck."

“Hey, that’s my friend!” Ruby called out, appearing in a flurry of red petals next Issei. There was no point in hiding now. “And who do you think you are, Ms. Bishop?” She finally paid attention to the two and gave them a weird look.

"Hm. So this boy is the Pawn Rias Gremory adores, and girl, the Human King, everyone has been talking about.” The blonde princess noted. “You know, you two aren’t what I expected to look like. You two look like you were dragged out of the gutter."

“Excuse me?” Ruby growled as she got out Death Rose while Issei clenched his fists.

“Boosted Gear! Standby!” Issei declared, the crystal on the gauntlet glowing once again.

**BOOST!**

“Bring it on! We’ll take you both down before you can even blink!” Ruby called out. The Phoenix Bishop only shook her head and sighed.

“I’m not going to fight. Isabella, be their opponent.” The Bishop ordered. “And try not to hurt them too much. It looks like they bruise easily.” Isabella nodded and stepped forward as the princess stepped away from the area, surprising and confusing Ruby and Issei.

"I was planning to in the first place. Let's fight since we are both bored." Isabella said in a dull tone.

“Huh!? What do you mean you’re not gonna fight!?” Issei exclaimed as he pointed at the princess.

“Exactly what I just said, idiot.” The Bishop deadpanned. “I’m just going to watch this little scuffle.”

“You… I can’t… WHAT!?” Ruby shouted out. “You’re just going to watch!?”

“Yes, now stop repeating what Ravel-sama says.” Isabella stated. “She’s special to Raiser-sama so she won’t be participating unless ne-“

Ruby didn’t let her finish as she appeared behind Ravel, scythe at the ready. Ravel didn’t even have to look as she raised her hand. “Nope.” She said before a wall of flames appeared behind her, causing Ruby to flip away. Before she could act, the wall of flames was balled up into Ravel’s hand before she turned around and blasted Ruby away back to Issei. “Don’t mess with your betters next time.”

“Urgh…” Ruby groaned as she was helped up by Issei as she quickly put out the fire on her skirt. “What the… Who are you?”

“Don’t you know?” Isabella said, a little angry at Ruby trying to get a cheap shot. “Her name is Ravel Phoenix, Raiser-sama’s little sister!”

There was a moment of silence after that, the only sounds being the clashing of swords in the background.

“What.” Ruby and Issei got out, their brains not quite getting what they just heard.

“Y-You mean like in friendly sense or adopted or…” Ruby tried to logically find a reason why Raiser had his sister in his harem as Ruby refused to acknowledge his peerage as anything more.

“No, I mean she’s his actual little sister. She became Raiser-sama’s servant through a special method but all in all, she is his Bishop.” Isabella informed. Ruby and Issei couldn’t help but imagine Raiser standing next to Ravel and trying to see if there was any similarity between them.

They failed. Hard.

Ruby started gagging while Issei just stared at Ravel.

“WWWWWHHHHHAAAAATTTTTT!?” Ruby shouted to the heavens as she comprehended that this was happening and that they were telling the truth.

“ ** _Ruby! Radio!_** ” Weiss scolded over the radio just before Ruby heard an explosion. Ruby blushed before turning it off.

“Y-You mean he… and she…” Issei couldn’t even form complete sentences. He wasn’t sure what he should feel. Little sisters were awesome, there was no doubt about it but this… was kinda on the next level.

“Oh, ew…! Get that mind of yours out of the gutter!” Ravel shouted out. “We haven’t done anything normal siblings shouldn’t do!”

“It’s more about symbolism than sexual attraction,” Isabella stated. “Raiser-sama said, and I quote: _Having your sister in your harem has a significant meaning. You know the significant view of having your close relatives? You know how there are people who look up to and also get jealous of it? Well, I'm not a sister-moe type, so I have her in my group as fashion. Plus, I also needed a tsundere and she fit the bill quite well, along with being my little sister. Covering all the types, you know?_ ”

Ruby and Issei just continued to stare at the two in silence.

“…That’s what he said.” Isabella said, wondering why they weren’t getting it.

“…Dude, your King’s a perv and a dumbass.” Issei deadpanned.

“And this is coming from the biggest perv in the world,” Ruby added in. “And I’m getting the feeling his dumbass-ery is rubbing off on you guys…”

“Don’t insult him! Only I get to! You’re destined to lose this Game anyhow!” Ravel called out. “Show them what you’ve got, Isabella!”

“Okay.” That was all the warning Issei and Ruby got as they narrowly dodged a straight punch, the air from the punch lightly brushing against their cheeks.

“Whoa!” Issei shouted out before Ruby grabbed his collar then ran a few feet away from their opponent. “That was close.”

“She’s fast.” Ruby breathed out she put away Death Rose. “Way too fast for a Rook.”

“Hmph! So you two can dodge a punch like this.” Isabella smirked. “Sorry I looked down on you two. But now I can hold back a little less. See if you can keep up.”

“This is gonna suck,” Issei grumbled.

“C’mon Issei! We can d-LEFT!” Ruby shouted out as they started dodging flurries of punches. They didn’t even have time to counter or even think, sweating as they saw small shockwaves every time Isabella extended her fist. Every punch thrown was a game ender, they knew that, and that was enough motivation to push their bodies to the limit.

Suddenly, Isabella switched her focus to Issei, giving Ruby an opening. Knowing taking her weapon would take too long, Ruby went to kick Isabella’s hip only for her leg to get caught as she hit her in the face with the back of her hand.

Ruby then realized in that .01 second that she fell into the Rook’s trap.

Without a second of hesitation, Isabella swung Ruby at Issei’s stomach before the hit, taking a step back before she kicked them away from her.

“GARGH!” Issei let out as they were sent rolling away from their opponent. They both coughed and groaned as they slowly got up. Issei was glad he clenched his stomach before he got hit. That would’ve hurt a lot more. “You okay?” He asked.

“I’m fine…” Ruby panted out. “I just feel sore in my everything...”

“Snark later, fight now!” Issei called out as he fired up his Boosted Gear.

**BOOST! BOOST!**

“Bring it on!” Ruby shouted out as she pulled out Death Rose once again. They both charged at Isabella and started their counter-attack. Issei got to the Rook first and threw a few punches. Isabella dodged them with ease and even threw Ruby away when she tried to go for a swing at her chest before grabbing Issei arm, pulled him towards her before palming his face. However, she didn’t expect Ruby to recover from her throw so quickly as Ruby landed on her feet, using a small burst of her Semblance to gain enough momentum in that short distance to slide past her, using her scythe to trip her up into the air before settling into a crouched position and unleashing a heavy barrage of bullets on her and sending her away.

Isabella couldn’t stop the next hit a she was still in the air as Issei used Ruby’s back as a platform and leaped into the air, then smashing her head into the ground, landing on her back before pushing off her to land near Ruby.

“How do you like that!?” Issei smirked as Isabella got up, almost collapsing back onto the ground. That hurt a lot more than she expected. Especially those bullets.

She smiled at that.

“It seems I have taken your two too lightly…” Isabella breathed out, causing the two to look confused. “To tell you the truth I thought I got you when my kick hit you.... Looks like Rias Gremory has been training you well. Especially your stamina, it’s magnificent."

“What about our stamina?” Ruby panted out.

"In a serious battle, the most important thing is the stamina. Even idiots can fight. But you need stamina to continue, if only for a few minutes. Battles consume lots of stamina and concentration.” Isabella said. “Just dodging the attack requires quite an amount of effort. So being able to do it up till now means that you have been training your body a lot.”

“We’re a lot better than you think, you know,” Ruby said. “We’ve been training for this like our lives depended on it.” ‘With mine being a literal case.’ She added mentally. Isabella only chuckled at Ruby’s statement.

“Training can only get you so far,” Isabella stated. “We have ten Rating Games under our belt, while this is your first Rating Game for all of you. So tell me, Human King, who do you think would win? Someone with years of experience in battle, facing hardships that either breaks or strengthens them? Or someone who trained for battle their entire life, who can theoretically win every fight?”

Ruby frowned. She honestly wanted to give it some thought. Well, she would’ve thought deeper if Issei hadn’t started talking.

“Who cares!?” The Pawn shouted out as he went into a battle stance. “If you have the drive to win, sometimes it’s enough to take down anyone and everyone in your path! And I don’t intend to lose to the likes of Raiser, or to any Human, Devil, Angel or Fallen on this planet! If it means making Buchou happy, I’ll gladly destroy every god in existence if I have to!”

He then cracked his knuckles.

“And I definitely won’t lose to you.”

Ruby looked at Issei, her eyes wide before shaking her head and settling into her battle stance. “I won’t lose, not in your lifetime,” Ruby said seriously. Isabella only laughed.

“Naïve and foolhardy… You never really see them these days.” Isabella said. “Well, I’m having a lot of fun fighting you two.” She admitted before her tone became serious. “But now it’s time to show you how wrong you are, and why those who think like that are the first ones to die.”

“We’re still standing,” Issei smirked. “Come on! Show me your boobs-ack! I mean _moves_! Moves… yeah, I-I definitely said moves…”

“Really? Now of all times…” Ruby grumbled before glaring back at Isabella.

“Hm, seems I only fired you two up,” Isabella said with a frown. “But it doesn’t matter.”

“As if!” Issei shouted out. “My name is Issei Hyoudou! I am the weakest and the least experienced member of Rias Gremory-sama's group. But still, I will defeat you!"

“And my name is Ruby Rose,” Ruby spoke up. “I may not be deserving of my King Piece… but I will fight Raiser, I will make him regret everything he’s done and I will win this Rating Game once and for all!”

Suddenly, they heard a thud and the sound of something shattering.

Ruby and Issei turned their heads back to the duel of Knights and saw Blake on her knees, covered in scratches and burns while her chain for Shrouded Plague was in pieces and one of Kiba’s swords’ blade, the Holy Eraser, disappearing in a flash of light while Carlamaine pointed her flaming sword at Kiba’s forehead.

"Unfortunately, your Sacred Gear won't work on me." Carlamaine taunted with a smirk.

“Blake! Kiba!” Ruby called out. She went to go help them but was stopped by Isabella.

“Don’t turn your back on your enemy,” Isabella said. “Your fight is with me.”

“Ruby, we’re fine,” Blake called back as she caught her breath. “Just focus on your own fight. We can take care of her.”

“Besides,” Kiba said with a smile as he looked Carlamaine dead in the eye. “There’s more to my Sacred Gear than it meets the eye.”

“What? Nonsense, Knight of Gremory.” Carlamaine said with a frown. “It's unsightly for a Knight to..."

“Freeze.” Kiba interrupted. Carlamaine’s eyes widened as she jumped back just in time as a spike of icicles erupted from the ground, the area suddenly becoming colder, causing Ruby to shiver a little. Kiba just smirked as he stood up and put the hilt of his sword on the longest icicle before pulling it out, the icicle becoming a sort of makeshift blade to replace what was there before.

Then with a flick of the wrist, the icicle shattered revealing a perfectly sharp, glowing light blue blade. It didn’t even look like ice anymore, but pure metal.

Ruby couldn’t help but squeal at the sight as everyone stared in awe. “Wha-What is that? What did you do?” Ruby couldn’t help but ask.

“This is nothing more than a simple change of blades.” Kiba answered before pointing his new sword at Carlamaine. “Give up now and retire peacefully, Knight of Phoenix. _Flame Delete_ negates all fire it touches.”

“…You could’ve mentioned this during training you know?” Blake deadpanned as she got up and joined back with Kiba.

“But that would ruin the surprise,” Kiba replied with a grin.

“I… I don’t believe it…” Carlamaine muttered out. “T-That’s absurd! You’re telling me you possess two Sacred Gears!?” She growled under her breath before charging at the two, abandoning any sense of chivalry she had.

Blake quickly engaged with the knight, blocking the oncoming attack with Shrouded Plague. Firing a few bullets into the ground to make her opponent backstep, the Knight of RWBY swung at Carlamaine at blinding speed, making her guard against her attacks. When they pressed their blades together, Blake just gave the knight a smile.

“Smell you later.” Blake couldn’t help but make a pun as she pressed a button on the handle of one of her swords before quickly pushing each other away.

Suddenly, Carlamaine started to gag as she realized that the cat girl’s weapon had produced a smell that couldn’t be described. She almost vomited on the spot, but swallowed it quickly as she saw Kiba casually walk up to her. Her eyes still burning, she just managed to raise up her flaming sword only for Kiba to break it in half with his. She kept fighting with the broken blade, however, and pathetically swung at him only to be easily dodged before having a pommel stuffed into her gut and pushed away. The Knight of Phoenix groaned before managing to get up while throwing away her useless weapon.

“Y… You dishonor the way of swords…” Carlamaine coughed as she wiped her eyes as she pulled out her dagger. “I cannot be defeated by such cowardly tactics! Phoenixes rule over fire and wind! As a member of the House of Phoenix, they will come to my beck and call! Come, wind of eternal life! Come, fire of my passionate soul! Allow me to wield you to destroy all who stain the way of the sword! Let them see that-”

“Get on with it! We don’t have all Game!” Ravel heckled from the sidelines before turning to the King, Pawn and Rook. “And why aren’t you fighting?”

“…I call for a temporary ceasefire.” Isabella casually said; a bit more interested in what’s going on with the Knights than her actual opponents.

“Er… okay?” Issei muttered with a shrug.

“As one of the Kings, we accept,” Ruby said, causing Ravel to sigh.

“R-Right,” Carlamaine said with a blush. “Whirlwind of flame!”

Ruby and Issei quickly put up their arms to guard against the tornado of fire that surrounded the Knights, they even stumbled back from the display of power. The heat was close to unbearable; it felt like it was burning their skin.

Blake didn’t lose her cool in the slightest, only taking off her bow to use it to replace her chain as Kiba only looked at the knight with a serious gaze as Flame Delete melted, leaving only the handle. He wasn’t even fazed by the intense heat and, admittingly, the wind and lighting made him look like he was modeling for a photo.

Issei felt a little confused why he thought that.

“If we fight like this, we won’t last long.” Blake pointed out, the air becoming stuffy and hot sweat dripping down their faces. “We have to finish this quick. Unless you have more swords you can pull out of your ass.”

“Maybe,” Kiba said as he held up his bladeless sword. “Stop.”

And then the whirlwind died.

Ruby and Issei held their ground as they felt Kiba’s sword vacuum the air around them. He was literally stealing their breath away as a new green blade formed from the air it sucked until he stopped. Sucking in a few breaths, Ruby could only stare in awe at Kiba. How types of swords could he make!?

“ _Replenish Calm_ ,” Kiba said with a grin. “It’s been a while since I use more than two demonic swords.”

“How many swords do you have, man!?” Issei exclaimed.

“Yes… I wonder…” Carlamaine said as she looked at the blonde Knight. "...Multiple Sacred Gears. Do you possess the power to take the weapons of other Sacred Gear users and make it your own?" Kiba couldn’t help but laugh gently as he shook his head.

“I don't have multiple Sacred Gears.” He answered. “I also don't take the Sacred Gears of others and make them my own. I create them."

“What the… You make swords out of thin air?” Ruby gasped. “That’s so cool!”

“Yes. My Sacred Gear, _Sword Birth_.” Kiba said with a confident smile on his face. “You may pride yourself on your ability to wield a blade, Carlamaine.” Then, as demonic energy flared around him, as more swords burst from the ground around him of differing styles and lengths, he gave Carlamaine a devious smile. “Too bad you only brought two to this fight. I always bring _all of them_.”

“…End the ceasefire?” Ruby asked, the Knights engaged in battle once again.

“End the ceasefire!” Issei shouted out as his Sacred Gear glowed as Isabella got ready for more.

**BOOST! BOOST!**

“Issei, wanna do RxD?” Ruby whispered as she got out Death Rose.

“Hm… Not yet.” Issei replied as he started focusing his Devil energy into the palm of his hand. “Just keep her occupied while I charge up. You may wanna stand back when I say so.”

“Got it,” Ruby nodded before charging at Isabella. Just as the Rook went to guard her front, Ruby sidestepped and tried to go for her right side but Isabella managed to block the attack and grab her scythe. Ruby glared at her and pulled out Crescent Rose and fired a shot, but was forced to aim at the ground.

But Ruby, thinking quickly, grabbed Death Rose as Isabella tried to plant the blade into the ground, spun around and managed to slash at Isabella’s mask with Death Rose before firing a bullet in the Rook’s stomach using Crescent Rose then kicking her in the solar plexus, but got her leg grabbed again.

Ruby tried to turn Death Rose into its Rifle form so she could fire both of them in Isabella’s face, but ended up getting pulled towards her as she grabbed her other leg and putting it under her armpit. Ruby quickly braced herself as Isabella slammed her fists down on Ruby’s chest and throat, creating a crater around them.

Blake couldn’t help but let a flash of worry run down her spine but kept focusing on Carlamaine. She couldn’t stop fighting until either Rias or Ruby lost their will to fight.

Ruby groaned as she was lifted up by her collar, still gripping onto her scythes as hard as she could. Most of her Aura took that attack but it still hurt a lot and left her in a daze. Just as Isabella was about to land a heavy right hook and end the Rating Game, Issei managed to snap Ruby out of it.

“RUBY! NOW!” Issei shouted out, the energy in his hand becoming more and more unstable by the second. Ruby’s silver eyes regained focus in an instant as she kicked off the Rook and dived out of the way with her Semblance. “Boosted Gear! Dragon Shot!”

Isabella’s eyes widened before just barely getting out of the way of the shot as well, the sound of it just like a dragon’s roar, causing it miss and hit the tennis court. She winced in pain before looking at her shoulder, seeing that it grazed her and left a burn mark on her skin. Then the ground began to rumble underneath.

“HIT THE DECK!” Ruby managed to shout out before the tennis court exploded, flinging two girls away from the baseball field from the shockwave alone as the Knights’ battle stopped to guard themselves against the blast. “WHOA!”

“AAHH!” Issei screamed out as he was blown off his feet by his own attack. When he opened his eyes and got up, he saw the amount of destruction he caused. He had completely obliterated the majority of the sports courts. The only surviving one was the baseball field. Everything else was a crater. “And I was holding back…” Issei admitted as he looked at his gauntlet before tightening it into a fist. “I love this thing!” He declared with a confident smile on his face.

“Next time, you should use it at a longer range…” Ruby groaned as she slowly got up. “You kinda almost killed us all…”

“Er… whoops?” Issei replied with a shrug before they both focused back on Isabella, who looked a little worse for wear.

"Isabella! Defeat that Pawn!” Carlamaine called out as she re-engaged with Blake and Kiba. “That Sacred Gear has the power to change the outcome of the battle! Save the Human King for Raiser-sama!”

“I have a name!” Ruby shouted out indigently as she rolled her neck a little, preparing to use both Death Rose and Crescent Rose for the rest of the fight.

“Affirmative,” Isabella said, no longer sounding bored. Ruby and Issei stepped back as her Devil energy flared, her power as a High-Class Devil becoming apparent. “He’ll become a real threat if we allow him to Promote to Queen. You must be destroyed, Issei Hyoudou! I will gladly end this Game now if I can’t!”

“And… now you made yourself a target.” Ruby sighed. “Great.”

“Says the Failure Condition to this Game,” Issei mumbled under his breath.

“I heard that!” Ruby said as she used her Semblance to reload her scy-ifles as quick as possible. “Let’s end this quick.”

“If you want this to end this quickly, let me do my ultimate move again,” Issei suggested.

“You have an ultim-“ Ruby then paused as she realized what Issei meant. “Really? _Again_?” She whispered through gritted teeth.

“What? It’s super effective against girls and Raiser’s entire freaking peerage-“

“You know what, fuck it.” Ruby sighed out as she face-palmed just knowing there was no stopping him. “Go nuts. We’ll talk about this later.”

“Sweet!” Issei cheered out before they both started running at Isabella. Ruby jumped into the air and turned herself into buzzsaw before slashing at the Rook when she landed on the ground. As Isabella dodged and blocked as much as she could, Ruby jumped into the air.

Isabella thought it was going to be an aerial assault and quickly raised her hands above her head… leaving her open for an uppercut.

“EAT THIS!” Issei called out as he hit her jaw as hard as he could before punching her flat in the chest, blowing her away and leaving a special mark on her. “It’s over! _Dress Break_!”

“What!?” Isabella managed to get out before her clothes exploded, leaving her in nothing but her birthday suit. “Wh-What!? Who would do such a thing!?” She cried out as she covered her breasts and squeezed her thighs together, trying to gain a little sense of modesty.

“It’s called playing dirty,” Ruby whispered into her ear from behind. She didn’t even hear her get up behind her. “If you have the drive to win, you’ll do anything.”

“Huh?”

“Good-bye.” Isabella only had enough time to look down and see that the Human King had crossed her scythes at the ready, the blades ready to bisect her from the stomach. She looked up just in time to see the Pawn pull back his fist.

“Oh, this is going to hurt.”

**CRACK!**

[Raiser Phoenix-sama’s final Rook has been retired.] Grayfia announced as soon as Isabella left the battlefield.

“We… We did it…” Ruby panted out as she collapsed to her knees, putting away Death Rose for now.

“Y-Yeah… W-We did…” Issei said, laughing a little as he looked up at the dark sky, finally seeing that night had fallen. “Buchou… I can fight… I can fight for you… because of you…! Hell yeah!”

“You two did well.” A voice from behind congratulated. Issei and Ruby turned their heads to see Kiba and Blake looking at them, one of them chuckling while the other glared, and Carlamaine walking up to them and clapping. They had stopped their fight to watch them. "We shouldn’t have taken you two so lightly. I guess next time we meet, we’ll stop treating you like lowly Pawns.”

“I don’t know if I should be glad or worried.” Issei admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“What makes you think there’s going to be a next time?” Ruby threatened, her eyes flashing red, as she aimed at Carlamaine’s armoured chest. “I can take you out right here.”

“But wouldn’t you like a more honorable fight? Our groups may be fighting each other but it doesn’t mean we should act hostile around each other at all times.” Carlamaine asked as she pointed the gun away. “Besides, you may have taken out a Rook but so far you have used rather… underhanded tactics such as b-blowing women’s clothes off…”

"Yeah, I'm truly sorry,” Kiba said as he walked up to the group. “I will apologize as well. I'm sorry for our Issei-kun being a lecher."

“Yes, we’ll be having a long talk about his actions,” Blake spoke up as she wrapped her arm around Issei’s neck.

“A-A-A little ti-tight there, B-B-Bl-Blake-san…” Issei got out, only for the grip on his neck to tighten. “B-Blake?”

“Be glad Yang isn’t here to kill you again,” Blake told him. Issei started sweating and just nodded as Blake let go of his neck as Carlamaine turned to Kiba.

“But a demonic sword wielder and someone with such a strange pair of blades... what fortune,” Carlamaine said. “I may have a destiny of meeting fellow sword-wielders who use special blades.”

“Well, in my world, it’s kinda required you make stuff like this if you want to survive,” Blake explained as she held up her weapon. “This is just one in a million.”

“While your weapon is rather unique to us, I’m talking about you and your swords,” Carlamaine said as she turned to Kiba, who only looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Hm? What is it?” Kiba asked. “Is there someone else that uses demonic swords you know of?”

“No… not at all,” Carlamaine replied before smirking. “You possess the ability to wield holy swords.”

Suddenly, the air dropped a few degrees.

Ruby couldn’t help but be shocked at the amount of hate and killing intent coming off of Kiba at the moment. It was overwhelming. He almost had the same amount of hate as Rias when she became hostile. Her Power of Suffering even started to act up as she tried to keep it under control.

Whatever it was that involved the holy sword he wields, it most definitely caused a lot of suffering for him.

“K-Kiba…” Ruby whispered out.

"Tell me about that holy sword wielder," Kiba demanded; his tone low and threatening. This was a major change between Kiba the school prince and Kiba the (apparently raged-filled and vengeful) Devil. “Tell me everything you know.”

“Huh, a strong connection indeed,” Carlamaine noted. “But since we are wielders of blades, we should stop right now and fight. Let our swords do the talking for us!”

“Hmph! Fine.” Kiba said as he settled into a battle stance. “I guess leaving you to die won’t be a problem, as long as your mouth still moves.”

Ruby, Blake, and Issei all simultaneously took a step back away from the blonde-haired swordsman and the knight.

“I’m getting the feeling he has issues…” Issei muttered.

“Yeah, no kidding…” Ruby mumbled before looking at Blake. “Uh… are you gonna…”

“I think this is something he should do alone,” Blake said, just knowing from his body language that he wanted to do this without interference from anyone but the knight. “She really does say the word ‘sword’ a lot…” The former Faunus muttered to herself.

“How about you deal with her for a week, and then we’ll talk,” Ravel said as she walked up to the three.

“Huh? Oh, you’re still here?” Ruby said with a small gasp. “I honestly forgot you were here. So… um… are we gonna fight sooner or later or…?” The Phoenix Bishop only scoffed.

“Oh please, we still have plenty of other Pieces until I’m necessary,” Ravel replied before looked past the group. “Actually, here they come right now.”

“What?” Issei let out before they all looked where Ravel was looking at.

“So it’s here, huh?” A woman dressed up as a belly dancer, or that slave woman Issei has an old photo of underneath his bed from some movie, said as she looked around. Ruby realized she must’ve been the last surviving Pawn in Raiser’s peerage.

‘Her name was… Shuriya?’ Ruby tried to remember her name as she looked at them.

“Hm… They don’t seem very strong…” Shuriya noted.

“Hey, wait a minute, where’s Isabella-chan?” the woman in a kimono asked, wondering where the Knight was. Issei instantly recognized her as the other Bishop, Mihae.

“Didn’t you listen? She was defeated earlier.” A woman with a Zweihänder on her back answered as she looked at the group. Issei also remembered her name, Siris.

‘She has to be the last Knight.’ Blake thought with a frown as she looked around. Every last member of Raiser’s peerage was here. It then hit her.

They were _winning_.

Well, in terms of numbers but they only lost four members while Raiser’s peerage was reduced to six members left. Of course, it was mainly due to his sacrifice play strategy but… they were winning.

They could actually do this.

“Hey, you two. The Pawn-kun and King-chan, over here.” Ravel spoke up. Issei and Ruby looked at each other before shrugging and walked up to the Phoenix Bishop. “Raiser-sama said he's going to fight your princess. Look."

“What?” Ruby said before they both looked up. Their eyes widened as they saw a shadow with large wings in the air, crimson hair glistening in the false night sky. “What the… Rias!”

“Buchou!” Issei exclaimed just as his and Ruby’s transceiver got an incoming message.

“ ** _Issei-san? Ruby-san? Anyone! Can someone hear me!?_** ” Asia cried over the radio. She sounded like she was suffering a panic attack.

“Asia! Calm down! We can hear you loud and clear.” Ruby quickly responded. “What’s wrong?”

“Is it something about Buchou!?” Issei had to ask. He was extremely worried about his King.

“ ** _It is. I'm with Buchou-san on the school rooftop. Raiser-san challenged Buchou to a duel and Buchou-san accepted it! We were able to get into the school building without any problem, but…_** ” Asia explained as best as she could.

“Are you somewhere safe, Asia?” Issei asked. “Do you still have your shield? Are you hurt?”

“ ** _Yes, yes and no. Hurry, I don’t think Buchou-san can beat him alone._** ” Asia said before cutting the connection.

“…Shit.” Ruby swore as Ravel smiled at their worried expressions.

“Seems like Onii-sama challenged Rias-sama. Not surprising since you’ve been doing unexpectedly well…” Ravel stated. “We were holding back this entire time, but it seems like the kiddie gloves have come off. At this rate, she will be defeated before you even see him.” Ruby and Issei clenched their fists as she chuckled at them.

“I’m sorry, but look who's winning!” Issei called out. “We will take you down, each and every last one of you! As soon as Akeno and Weiss are done, you’re finished! Hell, I bet Kiba can take care of all you alone! Step aside! We have an asshole to teach!”

“You still think you can win?” Ravel taunted. “The _Crimson Ruin Princess_ , the _Priestess of Lightning_ , _Sword Birth_ , the _Red Dragon Emperor_ , the _Red Reaper King_ … Such names actually send shivers down my spine.” She then smirked. “However, you are facing **Immortal Birds**. No matter how much power you have, it means nothing against an immortal.”

“Immortal doesn’t mean invincible,” Blake stated as she joined up with Issei and Ruby. “So you can heal, it doesn’t mean you can’t die. You can be beaten, one way or another.”

“What, are you seriously going to try and fight him until he loses his will?” Ravel said. “Or are you going to defeat him with a strike that rivals a god? Are you still thinking you can still win!? Sorry, but that deserves a laugh.”

“Don’t you even know what’s at stake here!?” Issei called out. “We have to win at all costs! No matter what!”

“Hmph, even if we wanted to lose, Onii-chan wouldn’t allow it,” Ravel stated. “There’s so much riding on this that we can’t fail.”

“Right, continuing the Pureblood Devil legacy bullshit,” Ruby said mockingly. “You realize your brother doesn’t even love Rias! She just a prize to him, something to flaunt around on the street! Why do you think I’m here in the first place!? I’m going to die if I lose!” Ravel’s eyes widened before shaking her head.

“You’re overreacting! Since you still cannot comprehend our power, I’ll make sure you never see Raiser-oniichan!” Ravel declared. “Carlamaine, take care of the Sword Birth user. Leave the rest to us.”

“With pleasure,” Carlamaine said as Kiba glared at her.

“Siris. Shuriya.” Ravel called for two other servants. “Step forward.”

“Yes, Phoenix-sama.” They both said as they approached.

"As you may have already guessed, the one with the over-sized sword is Onii-sama's other Knight.” Ravel introduced. “Unlike Carlamaine over there, however, she lacks chivalry. She will do anything to defeat her opponent. No way around it.”

“And the belly dancer?” Issei spoke up.

“Oh, she may not be one of our most powerful Pawns but she will provide more than enough of a challenge for you,” Ravel answered before mentally adding. ‘Too bad she constantly underestimates her opponents.’

“Oh.” Ruby said… before using her Semblance to shoot Shuriya in the head in the blink of an eye. Blake looked at her leader in disbelief before shrugging and took a couple of potshots at the enemy peerage.

“WHAT THE HELL!?” Ravel exclaimed as she dived for cover with Siris making sure she was safe.

“You said she doesn’t care about chivalry, right?” Issei chuckled out before going into a battle stance. “Then we shouldn’t either!”

[…Raiser Pheonix-sama is out of Pawns.] Grayfia announced. They swore she was sweatdropping from wherever she was. [I repeat; all of Raiser-sama’s Pawns have been retired.]

“Grr…! That’s it!” Ravel shouted out as flame wings appeared on her back. “Carlamaine, keep that Knight distracted! Everyone else, on me!”

“I think we made ‘em angry,” Ruby said with a smile on her face as she pulled out both her scythes.

“You made them angry.” Blake deadpanned as she pulled out her weapons.

“You know, this is a lot more fun than I imagined!” Issei admitted as he activated his gauntlet once again. “Let’s make them weep, people!”

**BOOST!**

“The Human King is useless without her weapon, try and disarm her first! And that Nekomata is looking rather weak so finish her off as soon as possible!” Ravel informed her side. “And most importantly, watch the Pawn’s hands! Not only his Boosted Gear, he has a technique that destroys all clothing! Don’t let him touch you! Go for his legs! No, wait, GO FOR HIS CROTCH!”

“What is everyone’s problem with me reproducing!?” Issei exclaimed.

“Is that really a question?” Blake couldn’t help but joke.

“Just go!” Ruby shouted out as they charged at each other. “Issei, Knight! Blake, Bishop! I got Ravel! Go!”

“Got it!” Issei and Blake called out as they went ahead. They all clashed with their respective opponents, glaring at each other.

“Don’t hold back!” Ruby said, her eyes flashing red.

“Wasn’t counting on it!” Ravel said with a smirk before they all pushed off each other.

(Meanwhile…)

“ARGH!” Weiss shouted in pain as she was blown back by another explosion. She and Akeno were still fighting Yubelluna at the ruins of the gym and they were running out of options. Her outfit was in ruins, even exposing one of her breasts, her hair was burnt in places and she felt drained.

She was out of Dust, out of magic, out of ammo, out of Aura and out of time. It was only through sheer willpower that she was still able to stand. And even then, she wanted to collapse and sleep. Even breathing hurt.

Akeno was faring much better than her, but was still suffering a lot of damage. Blow after blow, explosion after explosion, it was like the Queen had an endless reserve of magic at her disposal. At this rate, they would be retired and that much closer to losing.

“You… You can do this…” Weiss told herself, just so her legs wouldn’t give out, as she picked up Myrtenaster and Hungersnot. “You… can’t… lose…” Just as she spoke, Akeno was blasted away, landing right next to her. “G-Get up…”

“H-How is she… How has she lasted this long…?” Akeno groaned as Weiss helped her up. “Sh-She shouldn’t have lasted this long…”

“Well, considering you won’t be lasting very much longer, I guess I should tell you,” Yubelluna said as she landed in front of them. Weiss couldn’t even lift up her weapons to even attempt to defend herself. She was just so tired. “You see… This Game was decided as soon as you faced us.” The Queen said as she held up a small bottle. Weiss almost thought it was holy water, but narrowed her eyes as she looked closer.

“That isn’t holy water.” Weiss stated. “Devils can’t even touch a bottle of holy water… so what is that?”

“Hmph. It’s nothing special.” Yubelluna said with a smirk. “You see while you can heal your wounds with that Twilight Healing user, your stamina won’t. This, a bottle of Phoenix Tears from the Phoenix clan itself, does both and in record time. While you threw yourselves at me, draining your energy and breaking your bodies, I kept myself healthy and strong throughout this entire fight. I’m sorry, but it’s checkmate from the first move.”

Akeno and Weiss glared at her as she waved the bottle in front of them. “That’s… That’s unfair! You’re cheating!” Weiss shouted out.

“Oh please, not many peerages would have a dedicated medic on their side.” Yubelluna pointed out. “And they certainly wouldn’t have two peerages against one. All we did was even the playing field.”

“Y-You bitch…” Akeno growled.

“Oh, look it up in the rules.” Yubelluna scoffed.

“I did,” Weiss spoke up. “Only two users of Twilight Healing could be allowed in a Rating Game… it would be too overpowered otherwise… but says nothing about your tears…”

“That’s because no one but the House of Phoenix has access to it. If such a nuance rule were to exist for just one peerage, there would be an outrage.” Yubelluna explained before looking at Weiss’ disheveled state. “Plus, these are sold to Devils for a very high price. That’s why the House of Phoenix is so wealthy. Though, I doubt you would know such things, you filthy peasant.” Weiss scoffed at that.

“I do know…” Weiss said with a frown. “I’m an Heiress to a very important company from where I’m from.”

“Well, you certainly don’t look like it right now,” Yubelluna said with a chuckle. “Look at yourself. You dress up like a princess just to keep your fragile self-image up, acting all high and mighty. Hmph, I bet you never fought in battle like this.”

“Well, you’re wrong. I have.” Weiss replied. “You don’t know anything about me so stop acting like you do!”

“Really? Because I can tell you everything just by looking at you. You’re such a boring read, by the way. No twists, no substance, no heart.” Yubelluna said as Weiss gritted her teeth. “That’s how I imagine your life. A caged princess trying to break free that should know that is useless to even attempt to do so. You should have stayed off the battlefield and confided yourself to those above you.”

“Sh-Shut up…” Weiss muttered out.

“I mean look at you. You were never meant for battle.” Yubelluna continued. “You may wield such a unique power, none of it even matters in the face of a Phoenix. Those toys you call weapons are nothing more than sticks, and the way you fight is like watching a child flail their arms around thinking they could save the world. But you’re in reality now, princess, and the world doesn’t work that way. I’m guessing daddy keeps giving everything since you were born, right?”

“Shut up!” Weiss shouted as she grew angrier and angrier.

“You never earned a damn thing in your life, have you?” Yubelluna said with an evil smile. “All of it was given to you, from your weapon to your wins. You’ve never worked for anything in your life! Such a waste of time for me to even meet you, a pathetic excuse for a Devil! For a human even!”

Weiss held herself back from saying anything. She was baiting her, trying to make her lose all of her senses and eliminate her from the Rating Game. She wouldn’t let her get into her head! She wouldn’t! She-

“And once your weak King falls, it will be over for your house!” Yubelluna declared. “Does it hurt? Are you going to cry? Face the truth; _you are not worth anything and you never will be_!”

Suddenly, something in Weiss snapped.

“The Phoenix was handed everything on a platter…” Weiss said through gritted teeth. “From chance, from the blood they were born in… they were set for life…”

“Can you blame them? The House of Phoenix was born to never lose.” Yubelluna smirked as Akeno grew unnerved by Weiss’ heavy breathing. “Especially against such pitiful opponents.”

“…Everything…” Weiss growled quietly. “Everything… was given to you… You never earned anything… You were lucky…”

“Hm? What are you saying?” Yubelluna asked. She frowned as she saw Weiss settle into a battle stance, both her rapiers in her hands.

“You never cared… You never tried… You never did anything…” Weiss said, her hair covering her eyes. She wasn’t even talking to Yubelluna anymore, Akeno noticed, but to… someone else. “You lied… You hurt people… You destroy anything in your path…”

“W-Weiss? Weiss?” Akeno tried to snap the Heiress out of it, but she knew that she wasn’t listening. This was clearly about something else and that what made Akeno crawl away as Weiss’ Aura started to flare.

“You… ruined lives…” Weiss said darkly as she finally looked up with nothing but hate in her eyes. “You ruined my life…! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING…!”

With a roar, Weiss’ eyes turned bright purple as pure, white-coloured energy flared around her body as the air grew colder and colder. Akeno’s eyes widened as she saw white, feathery wings on Weiss’ back for a second before disappearing, being replaced by her Devil wings the next second.

“Weiss…” Akeno whispered out. She had no idea what was happening but… she had the feeling Weiss wasn’t entirely human before her rebirth.

Yubelluna gasped at the display of power before cursing to herself. She just made an opponent a little bit more lethal. It was going to waste more time to take care of, but she could still finish this up quickly and get to Raiser just in time to end this Rating Game once and for all.

Weiss appeared in front of Yubelluna and tried to thrust her rapiers into her stomach. Not expecting the Teleport Glyph, the magician barely managed to dodge the attack as she flew back into the air. Pocketing her bottle of Phoenix Tears, she quickly created another explosion at Weiss’ position.

The Heiress disappeared in a flash as she cast a few more Teleport Glyphs on the ground and in the air. Yubelluna couldn’t create another explosion fast enough as Weiss teleported around the battlefield. This was a tactic meant to confuse and disorient her. That would mean…

“Got you,” Yubelluna said as she targeted an explosion from behind her back.

“Not quite!” Weiss called out, standing on a Platform Glyph as she cast another glyph in front of her. The glyph absorbed the explosion as it shattered. Before Yubelluna realized what Weiss was doing, the Heiress created another glyph underneath of the Queen.

Next thing Yubelluna knew, she was blown high into the air by one of her own explosions.

Weiss didn’t relent on her assault. Drawing from their ultimate team attack, Weiss quickly created a globe around the Queen before she turned her Platform Glyph into a Teleport Glyph. Yubelluna cried out in pain as she was stabbed and slashed at from all sides as Weiss burned through all her energy to cast replacement glyphs to keep the attack up. When she couldn’t keep it up any longer, Weiss shoved Yubelluna through the last Teleport Glyph she could muster before going through it herself. Before Yubelluna had the chance to retaliate, Weiss stabbed Hungersnot through the Phoenix Queen’s stomach and Myrtenaster through her chest.

“I-It’s… over…” Weiss panted out, having thoroughly drained herself of everything. She could feel unconsciousness approaching quickly.

“Y-You think… that is enough… to stop me…?” Yubelluna coughed out. She had to admit, this girl was good but such an attack wouldn’t take her down so easily.

“Who said… that I was referring to only you…?” Weiss smirked as she felt the hair on her back stick up. “Akeno… Do it!”

“What?” Yubelluna managed to get out before seeing Akeno, weak but flowing with electricity, charging up one last attack. The Phoenix Queen couldn’t help by laugh.

Weiss wasn’t trying to defeat her. She was only stalling for time.

“Good-bye,” Akeno whispered out before casting down the most powerful thunderbolt she could muster. She kept it up for as long as she could before collapsing on the ground.

Finally, this fight was over.

[Raiser Phoenix-sama’s Queen has been retired, along with Ruby Rose-sama’s other Bishop.] Grayfia announced. [I repeat, Raiser-sama’s Queen and Ruby-sama’s other Bishop have been retired.]

‘Get ready… for… another announcement…’ Akeno thought as her eyes started to close, her consciousness fading rapidly.

That is, until something cold touched her cheek.

Drawing upon the last of her strength, she turned her head to the side… and laughed.

“Raiser… doesn’t stand a chance…” Akeno said before grabbing the bottle of Phoenix Tears.

(Meanwhile…)

[Raiser-sama’s Queen has been retired, along with Ruby-sama’s other Bishop.] Grayfia announced. [I repeat, Raiser-sama’s Queen and Ruby-sama’s other Bishop have been retired!]

“WHAT!?” Ruby and Ravel exclaimed at the same time. Both sides looked worse for wear, but they were still going strong in their fight. Ruby was the first to snap out of it and slashed at Ravel, cutting her across her stomach, then up her torso before spinning around with both her scythes out as a finisher.

“Had enough!?” Ruby panted out. She was really tired; her body was aching for rest.

“Not in your lifetime!” Ravel called back with a smile. She was honestly enjoying this fight. She would make a great friend and rival after this.

“We’re not gonna win anytime soon!” Blake called out as she dodged another attack from Mihae. “We’re running out of options here!”

“Issei, you think you have something!?” Ruby shouted out as she slashed through a fireball.

“Maybe!” Issei replied as he blocked an overhead swing from Siris. “Come on, Boosted Gear! Give me something! Anything! Give me strength, Sekiryutei!”

At those words, Issei’s Sacred Gear glowed red as he felt a massive power boost go through his body. It was just like the power he felt back in that church.

“Dragon Booster!” Issei called out as he threw off Siris’ sword. “No… No! It’s not enough! That was for Asia! This is for Buchou! This is for Ruby! This is for everyone here! Give me more! Give me everything you have and beyond!” Suddenly, his eyes widened as he felt a different type of power flow through his body as his gauntlet started to transform.

“He’s powering up! Someone stop him!” Ravel commanded, only for Ruby to tackle her to the ground.

“NO WAY IN HELL!” Ruby yelled out. “Issei! Give it all you got!”

“ **RRRRRAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!** ” The Pawn roared out as his gauntlet took up his half of his arm, his energy covering the entire field. “Dragon Booster! _Second Liberation_!”

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Ruby cheered out before getting a fiery slap in the face. Meanwhile, Issei smirked as he looked at the new version of his Sacred Gear.

“Okay… I think I get it… I know what to do!” Issei said before running towards the duel between Knights. “Kiba!”

“Hey! Don’t you run aw-“ Siris called out, only for Blake to interrupt her with a dive kick to the face.

“Issei! We’ll keep them off you! Go for it!” Blake shouted out as she engaged with both Siris and Mihae.

“Thanks!” Issei called back as he blindsided Carlamaine and shoved her to the ground. “Kiba, unleash your Sacred Gear! Now!” The blonde Knight looked confused before nodding, trusting the Pawn.

“Sword Birth!” He declared as he stabbed the ground, causing swords to erupt from it around them. Issei cackled evilly as more and more swords appeared.

“Issei, what are you doing!?” Ruby had to ask as she fended of Ravel onslaught of attacks. “What’s with your Sacred Gear!?”

“Nothing! Just a little gift from the Sekiryutei itself!” Issei answered as he raised his armoured fist into the air. “Booster Gear Gift! Transfer!”

As soon as Issei said those words, the entire field became a sea of swords, their designs becoming more and more twisted and demonic the further they were from the center. Issei couldn’t help but let out a roar at the sight.

“Whoa…” Ruby said in awe as the swords started to rise from the ground. The pervert had come a long way since she first met him. “Way to go, Issei!”

“You know it!” Issei replied with a smirk before looking at the enemy, all of them gaping in awe.

“…Impossible!” Siris cried out in anguish.

“I-Is this the power of a dragon…?” Mihae said, knowing there was no way any of them could stop this attack.

“Not even half of it!” Issei called out as the swords were held up in the air, ready to rain down death. “Now penetrate their bodies and into their souls! _Execute_!” He ordered as he threw his fist down. Ruby and Blake just stared in awe as it rained swords around them, not even touching them in the slightest as their enemies fell around them. “Ha ha! And that’s what you call a finale!”

[…Raiser Phoenix-sama has just lost one Pawn, two Knights and one Bishop.] Grayfia announced. They could almost hear the awe in her voice. At least, Issei thought it was awe. It was still in her usual tone. [I repeat, one Pawn, two Knights and one Bishop from Raiser-sama’s peerage have been retired.]

“…Really, Issei-san? _Penetrate their souls_?” Kiba couldn’t help but chuckle at the innuendo. Issei only blushed and joined in the laughter with him.

“…That’s everyone.” Ruby realized was her eyes widened. “That’s everyone! All that’s left is Raiser!”

“Wait a minute…” Blake said as she stopped from jumping around in celebration. “It’s not all of them. Where’s the other Bishop?”

“Huh?” Ruby said before looking around, to see that Ravel had put up a flame shield around herself. After letting it drop, she collapsed to her knees. “You survived…?”

“Yes…” Ravel panted out as she slowly stood up. “You think… you’ve won? You can defeat me too, but you still have to face Raiser-oniichan. You don’t stand a chance.”

“I wouldn’t count on it.” A voice from above called out before landing in front of them.

“Akeno!” They all called out as the Lightning Priestess smiled at them, her beauty barely tarnished. Issei couldn’t help but get a slight nosebleed when he saw the state of Akeno’s clothes. It was barely holding together.

“Took you long enough,” Ruby said happily.

“How did you defeat Yubelluna?” Ravel had to ask. “We had an advantage over you!”

“Oh, you mean this?” Akeno said with a smirk as she pulled out a near-empty bottle. Ravel’s eyes widened as the sight. “Weiss managed to steal and give this to me before she was retired. By her own choice, in fact.”

“Weiss…” Ruby mumbled to herself, a small tear running down her cheek. “Thanks.”

“Come on! We have to help Buchou and Asia before it’s too late!” Issei called out. “Let’s go!”

“Get ready to eat your words, Raiser,” Ruby said with a smirk.

“H-Hey! Wait!” Ravel exclaimed as they all turned away from her and started walking towards the main school building. “Don’t ignore me! Even with all of you, you don’t stand a chance against Onii-chan! You hear me! You will lo-“

“Shut up, you piece of fried chicken,” Issei said in a serious tone before looking at her, scaring her slightly with the gaze he was giving her. “Say one more word and I strip you naked.”

Ravel logically shut up and let them on their way to certain doom.

“Seriously, what is up with you?” Blake had to ask. “You seriously invented a move that strips off clothing!?”

“Well, it’s been pretty useful so-GACK!”

To their surprise, it was not Blake kicking him in the gonads, it was him tripping and collapsing on his face. It seemed that he was unable to move anymore. “D-Damn it, I… I pushed myself too far…” The Pawn cursed. “Too much… Sacred Gear…”

“Well, you’re lucky I have this,” Akeno said as she flipped him over and poured the last of the Phoenix Tears into his mouth. Suddenly, with a burst of energy, he flipped himself back on his feet. “There, you should be good to go.”

“Thanks, Akeno-san,” Issei said before he and Ruby looked at the top of the school, still hearing the battle between Rias and Raiser take place.

“This is it,” Ruby whispered out. “Is everyone ready?” They all nodded in response, causing Ruby to smile.

“We’re ready for anything, King Ruby,” Issei said with a thumbs-up.

“Okay then. Let’s finish this once and for all.” Ruby stated as they walked into the school and up to the rooftop.

They had entered the endgame… and after there would only be two Kings left standing.


	19. A Simple Checkmate

Ruby couldn’t help it. Her heart raced as they walked up the steps to the rooftop. Despite how tired her body felt and how heavy they felt now, she held her scythes in each hand just in case something happened, like a trap set by Raiser’s fallen pieces.

Now… it was only them and Raiser. In a battle to determine the fates of the two Kings.

There was always the feeling of doubt in her mind ever since the Rating Game started. During times of calm like this, she could only imagine what would happen if they lost. Of how they would lose. But as the Game progressed, those thoughts began to disappear as more and more of Raiser’s harem fell to their power until finally, it was only Raiser and his sister left.

She felt that they should’ve finished her off. The possibility of her recovering and getting back into battle was high. But with their numbers, they easily divide each other and take care of them. After running through a few scenarios in her head, she determined that Blake, Kiba and Akeno were their best bet in defeating Ravel if she came back while herself, Rias and Issei fight Raiser. She only hoped that Asia was somewhere safe yet near enough to allow her to heal them if needed. This was going to be a battle of attrition and from the looks of it; they didn’t have a lot of time before dawn.

Ruby then frowned to herself as she got thinking. If they really couldn’t beat Raiser… what would happen if it was a draw? She remembered reading something about draws in chess, how there could be situations where there was no possible way to get a checkmate. For example; king vs. king. Would they have to make a mutual agreement where both sides win or maybe make it a best-of-three sort of thing or just plain make them go through it again?

Actually, that sounded bad. She didn’t want to go through _another_ Rating Game. They couldn’t use the same tactics, and they would know what they were capable of. Plus, she didn’t have the mental capacity to go through it again. They needed to finish this Game _now_.

“Okay, we’re here.” Akeno said as they approached the door to the rooftop. “Now, let’s slow down a little and plan ah-“

“What are you talking about!?” Issei shouted out. “Buchou’s in danger! We might lose if we delay any longer! Don’t worry Buchou, we’re here!”

“Hey, don’t-“ Blake tried to stop the pervert from kicking down the door, only to wince as a barrier appeared and caused him to bounce off and fall down a couple flights of stairs, with everyone flinching with every pained grunt he let out.

“Wah! Issei!” Ruby called out. “Are you okay!?”

“I… I’m fine… Just… broke my everything…” She heard Issei groan out as Akeno undid the barrier.

“Door’s unlocked.” Kiba announced as he casually opened the door as Ruby quickly used her Semblance to grab Issei and get him back upstairs.

“U-Um… please don’t mention this to Buchou.” Issei said sheepishly.

“Mention what?” Ruby replied as she shot him a smile. “Come on; let’s finish this once and for all.”

“Okay… let’s do this! Here we come!” Issei called out as he cracked his knuckles. “Promotion! _Queen_!” He shouted out, only to slump slightly at the amount energy that was drained from his body. He shook his head and stood straight back up before he nodded at Ruby. She nodded back before kicking down the door.

“Prez! We’re here to help!” Ruby shouted out as they all barged through the door and onto the rooftop, with Akeno and Kiba unleashing their wings. Rias quickly pushed Raiser away, his body covered in flames, from her to see what was left of their combined peerage. Asia gasped from behind cover as she saw everyone arrive.

“You all made it…” Rias gasped in surprise before smiling. Her uniform was torn in places and her hair was a mess but she was still ready to go, especially after so many of her friends making it the final battle.

“Ruby-san! Issei-san!” Asia called out as she hugged the two.

"The dragon brat and the bastard reaper, huh. Did Ravel let them all pass?" Raiser grumbled to himself, causing Issei and Ruby to growl.

“Raiser, it’s over!” Rias declared as she joined up with the group. “All your Pieces are out of this Game! You have none left to rely on! You’re outnumbered! We just proved we’re better than you! Forfeit now and leave your dignity intact!”

“I admit; I may have underestimated your power…” Raiser stated as he glared at his enemies. “But it doesn’t mean I don’t have a plan in place should I have overestimated your power.”

“That… That’s doesn’t even make any sense!” Blake called out as everyone took out their weapons. “Raiser, I ask you as a fellow Devil, think this through. Do you think the death of someone in exchange in marriage appropriate for someone of your nobility? What makes you think this is right!?”

“It was your fool of a King who offered her life as a way into this Rating Game that should’ve been strictly between her peerage and mine.” Raiser retorted. “Do _not_ blame me for her recklessness. I merely gave her what she wanted.”

“If they didn’t help, most of us wouldn’t be here.” Akeno said. “Admit it Raiser, you were wrong about Ruby and her peerage! With her help, we’ve beaten you into a corner! She’s just as deserving of the King Piece as much and you and Rias-buchou!”

“Oh please, just because she made it much further than I expected doesn’t mean she deserves to lead a peerage.” Raiser scoffed as he looked at the Red Reaper. “She’s useless without her allies.”

“…You’re right.” Ruby admitted, causing everyone to look at her weirdly. “Without everyone helping me, from my team, Issei, Prez… I wouldn’t have made it so far…” She said as she put her hand on her heart. “But… it makes me far from useless… I’m a Huntress, a warrior, who lost so much from just a simple mission… but now… I don’t care!” Ruby declared as she dual-wielded her scy-ifles, her energy flaring around her. “I may not be much to you, but to me you’re nothing more than an arrogant asshole! My name is Ruby Rose, and I am a Devil! Together or alone! We’ll fight until Rias and I are the ones left standing here! So give it your all Raiser! Don’t bother holding back!”

“What she said!” Issei shouted out as well. “I won’t let you marry Buchou! Over my dead body, I’ll never let you touch her again!”

“We’ll see to that.” Raiser said as he gave them a devious smile. Ruby frowned at that as she shifted her stance a little.

“That flame armour’s going to be a problem…” Ruby muttered to herself. “Issei, Kiba, think you can take care of it?”

“It seems Flame Delete will be useful for this battle.” Kiba stated as he got out the particular sword. “Hyoudou-kun, I might need back up for this. Maybe your Dress Break technique will be useful here.”

“Um… It doesn’t work on guys.” Issei admitted. “It only works on girls and fruit. It’s how I developed it. Plus, I really don’t wanna see Raiser’s junk and I’m pretty sure everyone else here doesn’t as well.”

“Of course it doesn’t work on men…” Blake sighed out. “So, what’s the plan?”

“It’s very obvious Blake.” Rias said as she glared at the Phoenix. “We can no longer hold back. Despite everything I’ve done, it hasn’t affected him one bit. It’s all or nothing from here on out so give it everything you have!”

“No problem! Give it your all!” Issei shouted out as he, Ruby and Rias took aim. “Your win streak ends now! _Dragon Shot_!”

“You have no hope!” Rias called out as a ball of energy gathered up in the palm of her hand.

“Now get the hell away!” Ruby yelled out as they all fired. Raiser easily dodged the attacks, but Ruby was fast enough to aim again and fire, hitting Raiser with a headshot. “Gotcha!”

“That’s not going to stop him!” Rias said as they saw the injury, which went from his jaw to the top of his skull, heal almost instantly. Issei and Ruby’s jaws dropped at the sight as Raiser smirked at the two. Kiba and Akeno charged forward and flew into the air and engaged with the Phoenix. “Asia, treat Blake’s injuries first before me. I also need to stay back and rest. Issei and Ruby; guard us until we’re ready for the finishing blow. Remember everyone; only Issei and Ruby have a chance to take down Raiser.”

“Got it, Prez.” Ruby said as she and Issei watched their allies fight Raiser. She slightly regretted not learning how to use her wings to fly since it would negate his aerial advantage, but there wasn’t enough time given to allow the more veteran Devils to teach them. She took a quick check of her inventory and Scroll, she saw that she still had some ammo left but her Aura was dangerously low, and Blake’s wasn’t recovering while Asia healed her wounds. Taking a quick mental note of that, she went back to watching the fight as Blake got up.

“Wait, Blake-san. You’re not fully healed.” Asia warned.

“I’m healed enough. I need to help the others.” Blake said as she spawned three clones. Two of them nodded at the most forward Blake and disappeared. “Just stay behind everyone, we got this. We’ll stall him before you guys go for the finishing blow.”

“Ready, Issei?” Ruby asked as she channeled her Power of Suffering into the palms of her hands, ready to give it her all.

“Always.” The Boosted Gear wielder answered, boosting his Sacred Gear just as Blake dashed into battle. Ruby turned back to the confrontation, quickly analyzing the situation.

Kiba’s swords were barely affecting Raiser’s flame armour, despite Flame Delete’s ability and Akeno’s magical attacks were either melting before they even reached her target or barely affecting him. Coupled with his ability to heal from even lethal blows made most of their attacks worthless. She was right with her initial strategy; stalling for time and distracting Raiser as Ruby and Issei were getting ready to end this.

“Need to get rid of that armour…” The former Faunus whispered to herself just as Kiba was punched away from the Phoenix King as Akeno put some distance between herself and the enemy. She quickly activated Shrouded Plague’s stink trails, jumped into the air and attacked, holding her breath so she wouldn’t gag at the smell.

But Raiser simply tanked the slices, his flame armour preventing her from even cutting his clothes while it also overpowered the smell of Shrouded Plague. Blake mentally cursed before gasping as moving her body as fast as she could.

She watched, as if in slow motion, Raiser’s fist lightly grazing her shoulder as she tried to dodge the sudden counterattack.

The next thing she knew was every bone in her right arm breaking into thousands of pieces and lots of pain and blood.

“GARGH!” Blake screamed in pain as her arm was detached from her torso, blood spraying everywhere, before gasping as another fist went straight through her stomach. She coughed and gurgled before slumping down, dead.

Well, until she faded into nothing.

Raiser barely reacted as the two other Blake clones appeared behind him as they went to stab his back. He turned around and with one swift kick, decapitated the two clones before they disappeared as well, leaving only blood behind to signify they existed. He then smoothly blocked Kiba’s swords before the Prince of Kuoh glared at the Phoenix.

‘Death Clones. Those were Blake’s enhanced clones.’ Ruby thought as she attempted to calm her beating heart. Issei and Rias grimaced while Asia focused on healing her King, not wanting to see the gore. ‘Figured it out during training. The clones Blake creates are almost perfect copies of her; they even have their own minds. But, they’re less durable than the real Blake and are prone to rather messy deaths. Bodies remain until Blake recalls them. That’s why we call them _Death Clones_.’

Meanwhile from her hiding spot, which was hanging off the side of the building, Blake watched in horror how quickly her clones were dispatched. Still, it gave her enough tactical information to properly plan a method of attack and stall tactics.

_Run the hell away and don’t look back._

It… It wasn’t _cowardice_ … it was simply getting Raiser to chase them around, tire him out and then let either Ruby or Issei deal the final blow. Yeah… she was done running… running away…

‘Oh shit, we can’t do this can we?’ Blake thought as she felt Raiser’s presence crush her chest in. It felt like her heart would collapse under its weight. She tried to clear her mind as she realized Raiser’s power was influencing her to give up but she just couldn’t get it out of her head. She could barely fathom the amount of power he had, and this was most likely a fraction of his true potential.

They didn’t stand a chance against him. This was a mistake. They… They’re going to lose if they don’t run… Ruby would…

‘No… don’t run… don’t run…’ Blake thought as she went back to the day they found out her true nature as a former White Fang. ‘Stop… running…! Stop running! They’re your friends... This is for Ruby…!’

“This is for Ruby!” Blake cried out as she jumped back onto the rooftop and charged directly at Raiser. She yelled as she thrust her one of katana at Raiser’s face, not realizing she had brought out her tail and whiskers subconsciously. Raiser dodged, only for Blake to wrap her ribbon around his neck, pull herself up and onto his face and slashed at it, not caring for the intense heat between her thighs (it was on fire, you perverts) as her clothes started to burn away until Raiser pulled her off and power-bombed her into the ground.

Akeno, while wincing as Blake cried out in pain, blasted as many ice shards she could muster. Despite taking Phoenix Tears, she was running out of magic fast. Quickly taking a glance at Ruby and Issei, who whose energies were starting to flare wildly around their bodies, she realized they wouldn't need to stall for much longer.

Kiba rushed in to distract Raiser from finishing off Blake as the cat girl forced her body to move away from the fight. She had done her part, now it was time to rest a little.

Meanwhile, Ruby could barely contain her energy, while Issei’s body visibly shook to handle the amount of power he was accumulating. “Argh…! I-I can’t hold it much longer!” Ruby declared; sweat dripping down her forehead as she tried her best to keep the balls of energy stable in her hands. “If we wanna finish this, _now would be a good time_.” She added through gritted teeth. Rias looked at them before nodding.

“Everyone, get away!” Rias commanded. “Ruby, Issei. Finish this.” They both nodded, charging forward. Meanwhile, Kiba was gasping for breath having spent all his energy on attacking, defending or dodging, and Akeno was finally out of magic. When they heard, they got out of the way as Ruby and Issei charged past them. “GO!”

“IT’S OVER!” Issei and Ruby shouted out as they pulled back their arms.

“GO TO HELL!” Issei yelled as he jumped high into the air as Ruby fell into a slide. Issei aimed to punch Raiser straight in his face, only for Raiser to grab his arm at the last second. “Oh shit…!” He cried out as he was thrown back to Rias and Asia.

But that only gave Ruby an opening.

“Game over!” Ruby declared from behind Raiser, only giving him enough time to turn around to see her slam her Power of Suffering into his face.

 However, something was stopping her.

“Wh-What!?” Ruby exclaimed as a force field formed around Raiser’s head. She tried to force her way through, only to find that it was pushing harder against her. There was no way she can break through! “How are you-!?”

Ruby didn’t get a chance to try and adapt to the situation as Raiser grabbed her by the neck, throwing her into the ground. As she bounced off it, he grabbed her neck again and began choking her. Ruby desperately kicked at Raiser’s chest and face, trying to break free. She almost lost consciousness when Issei tackled him, causing to let go as Ruby fell and collapsed onto the ground, coughing and desperately replenishing lost oxygen.

“It… It didn’t work…” She whispered to herself as she got up. “Why didn’t it work!?” She didn’t expect an answer as Issei was punched away. She quickly used to her Semblance to catch him, ending up near Rias and Asia.

“It seems my will is much better than what you can output.” Raiser said as he gave them an evil smile. “But I think I’m past playing games now. I’ve been showing you mercy this entire Game, giving you a fighting chance throughout it, but now I realize it’s a waste to hold back. I am truly sorry, but the sun will be rising in the human world very soon and I wish not to waste the time of a Maou any longer.”

Everyone’s eyes widened as his flame armour glowed intensely, changing from red to blue.

“The next time we see each other, Rias… it will be at our engagement party.”

Then his flame armour exploded.

Ruby’s body moved before she could even think. She grabbed Asia’s shield off of her back and stood in front of Rias, Asia and Issei. She screamed in pain as the flames hit the shield, heating the metal and burning her hands. Despite it, she held strong and kept the shield up, protecting the three behind her. When it stopped, she dropped the shield in an instant, her hands feeling numb after that.

[Rias-sama’s Queen and Knight and Ruby-sama’s Knight have been retired.] Grayfia announced, with Ruby barely hearing it as Asia quickly started healing her hands. She couldn’t even move them right now.

“Wh-Whoa…” Issei managed to get out. The rooftop was completely _melted,_ apart from the safe space Ruby created.

“Ruby…” Rias whispered out, staring in awe at her fellow King.

“I’m… I’m sorry I couldn’t save the others…” Ruby apologized. “But… Like I said… I won’t lose so easily…”

“Ruby… Please, stop fighting…” Rias begged, feeling guilt build up in her heart. “Stop fighting for me…”

“I… I won’t…” Ruby replied as she stood up, feeling returning to her hands. This only caused Rias to feel more guilt as she saw that Ruby was barely standing on her feet. “Issei… help me… end this once and for all…” She growled.

“H-Hai!” Issei called out as he got up and went into a battle stance. “I won’t stop fighting Buchou as well… Even if my body breaks, my heart won’t allow me to give up! I'm dumb so I don't know anything about _strategy_ or _fear_ I can still fight. I can continue fighting as long as I can move my hand! Alright, bastard, get ready for the RxD!”

“You still have fight in you, huh?” Raiser remarked as he glared at those who remained. “Well, enough of this nonsense. Now!”

“Sorry about this!” A voice from above called out. Before Ruby could react, she was tackled into by a hot blur and knocked into Asia, forcing them up into high into the air both off the rooftop.

“WAH!” Asia screamed out.

“RUBY!” Rias yelled as futilely reached for one of their hands.

“AH! Ruby! Asia!” Issei shouted out as he could only watch them disappear over the edge, wincing as he heard a sickening crunch fill the air. He turned around glared at the Phoenix. “You… You son of a bitch! I’ll kill you!”

“Well, considering that the Game isn’t over yet, it seems the Human King is much more durable than expected.” Raiser noted before going into his own battle stance. “But no matter, this Rating Game is about to end already. Give up now, Rias. We have a wedding to plan.”

However, the Crimson Ruin Princess clenched her teeth and hands as she got up. “No… all I’m planning is your funeral, Raiser…” She growled out. “If you haven’t it through your thick head, let me remind you… I will never marry you. I’d rather die than let you touch me again! I promise… on the blood of my friends you spilled… I’ll ensure the happiness of everyone I know and love!”

“That doesn’t include you, asshole!” Issei called out as his Boosted Gear started building up his strength. “Let’s do this, Buchou!”

“Gladly.” She said as their Devil energy flared as the Power of Destruction flowed through her body.

“Well, if you insist to lose…” Raiser said before appeared in front of the two in the blink of an eye.

But Rias had already countered this.

She ripped open her uniform’s blouse, revealing her bra and a large black revolver with red demonic symbols tucked in between her breasts. ‘Take off the safety, channel your energy into the chamber, then go and pull back the hammer…’ Rias thought as she went through her practiced motions for a quick draw before aiming it at Raiser’s neck. “Then… boom.”

**_BOOM!_ **

Issei was stunned at the sight… because Rias had accidentally ripped off one of her bra’s cups, revealing her left boob to him. The gun wasn’t that much of surprise, he watched Ruby make it for her after all, and it was explained to him that it was secret weapon to catch Raiser off guard because Rias mainly used her Power of Destruction to fight. But he was surprised the force of the “bullet”, which was purely made of Rias’ own power, stopping Raiser in his tracks and covering Rias in blood. She didn’t hesitate to follow up it up by unloading five more shots in the Phoenix’s chest… before grimacing as she put fifteen more into his balls before putting one more into his head.

Issei then snapped out of his thoughts before punching Raiser in the face, forcing him back onto his side of the rooftop.

“Gotta thank Ruby for _Devil Trigger_ and the lessons.” Rias muttered to herself as she twirled her revolver around as Raiser’s body healed from the bullet barrage. While using her Power of Destruction without the gun was much more powerful, it could be much easier to block especially against people like Raiser. But through Devil Trigger, it was basically instant. There was no travel time, she just needed to point, shoot and deal with the recoil. “Aw… are you hurt? Didn’t expect a princess to pack heat, did you?” She mocked before aiming at him again.

“That was kinda brutal, Buchou.” Issei admitted as he raised his arm in front of his eyes to censor himself from seeing the Phoenix’s junk.

“We have to fight with everything we’ve got, Issei.” Rias stated. “We’re the only two left who can fight Raiser right now, so get ready…” She said as she heard Raiser growl and flare his own Devil energy. “Because I think I just pissed off the fried chicken.”

“Whatever you say, Buchou.” Issei said before looking at the edge where Asia and Ruby went over. ‘I really hope you’re okay…’ He thought before the two charged at Raiser.

(Front of the School)

“WAH!” Asia screamed out as she and Ruby were sent high into the air and off the rooftop by Ravel, which caused Ruby to curse to herself as she turned her body around and hugged the former nun. “Ruby!?”

“Asia!” Ruby called before turning her back to the ground just before impact. There was a sickening crunch as Asia shut her eyes, her head bouncing off of Ruby’s chest. Asia groaned as she quickly applied Twilight Healing her neck and head to heal from the pain of getting whiplash from the impact. However, when she opened her eyes… well, it wasn’t a pretty sight.

Ruby’s limbs were sticking out at odd angles, with a few bones sticking out of her clothes and skin. There was also blood splattered everywhere and oozing out of old and new wounds that she suffered in the Rating Game. Asia spotted the shattered screen of Ruby’s Scroll and saw that her Aura was completely empty. The only indications that Ruby was even alive were the quiet pained groans and faint yet heavy breaths she let out.

“R-Ruby-san!” Asia shouted in horror as she started desperately healing her friend. Asia frowned when she studied her wounds much more closely as she tried to put the bones back into place. The wounds she had were very severe. The Game should’ve ended when they landed, and yet she was still here. Why wasn’t it over yet? She saw the Red Reaper trying to move, placing her hand on her forehead to stop the wounded girl. “St-Stay still… please don’t move… it’s only going to make it worse…” She said as she tried to force down the tears falling down her face.

“I… I can… I can still fight… I can’t give up…” Ruby managed to get out. “My heart won’t let me…” She chucked a little since she quoted Issei, only to stop to let out a small pained grunt.

“I’m so sorry about that.” Ravel sighed an apology as she landed back onto the ground. “I thought you could take much more punishment. Unfortunately, I was wrong.”

“Y-You…! You hurt Ruby-san!” Asia exclaimed. “Why would you do such a thing!?”

“Don’t you know you’re fighting my brother?” Ravel said. “I can’t dishonor the name of the Phoenix, and at the end of the day… you are my enemy.” The blonde shifted into a battle stance as flames started to surround her. “And aim to finish this once and for all. No hard feelings, please.”

“A-Asia… go back and help Issei and Rias…” Ruby said as she slowly tried to stand up, surprising Asia into stopping her heal. Ruby's body screaming in pain as she did, trying to tell her she had pushed it past its limits. She tuned that voice out, readying Death Rose. “I’ll… I’ll…”

“No.” Asia interrupted as she forcefully took the weapon out of Ruby’s hand. “You and Issei have been protecting me all this time, so now I’m protecting you. Please, Ruby-san, stay behind me and rest.”

Ruby only stared at the former nun. She had an awkward stance and was struggling to carry the weapon, and she was shaking on her feet. Ruby knew she was a pacifist, and this wasn’t going to be a fight Asia would win. She had to stop her.

“Asia, you can’t do this! Let me-ah!” Ruby tried to reason as she got up on her knees, only for her legs to flare up in pain, causing her to collapse onto the ground. “I… I can still fight!”

“Well, technically you can.” Ravel deadpanned. “You’re only eliminated if you can no longer fight and even in the state you’re in… you still have the ability to fight. Which means I have to beat it out of you.”

“Y-You have to go through me first!” Asia called out as she tried to comfortably hold the scy-ifle. “I won’t let you hurt my friend!”

“…This is going to be way too easy.” Ravel sighed out. “How about this, if you manage to touch me in any capacity I’ll temporarily join your peerage. Deal? I’ll even give you a free shot.”

“If it stops you from hurting Ruby-san…” Asia said as she tried her best to intimidate her with a glare but couldn’t.

“Please… don’t do this…” Ruby begged, only for Asia to smile at her.

“Don’t worry about me. I won’t give up because my heart won’t allow me to.” Asia said before firing at Ravel… with the recoil causing the gun to whack in the forehead, making her drop it as she rubbed the extremely sore area. “Ow ow ow…!”

“…I am surprised she hadn’t knocked herself out with that.” Ravel muttered to herself before creating fireballs in the palms of her hands. “Well, my turn.”

“Asia!” Ruby shouted out as Ravel charged at her, throwing fireballs all the while. Asia’s body moved before she could even think, stumbling out of the way to the shots before diving to the ground just in time for a fireball to miss. She got up as quickly as she could and started going back for Death Rose, only for Ravel to kick it away, throwing more fireballs.

Ruby had been trying to move her body to help Asia the entire time, but found out that despite everything she couldn’t. As she stared up at the sky, she saw flashes of light and heard gunshots. She was struck with an idea. “ISSEI! RIAS! SHIELD!” She shouted out.

“Huh!? Ruby!?” Issei exclaimed before going under one of Raiser’s punches. He spotted Asia’s shield on the ground and dived for it, just in time to guard against a large blast of fire before using it to bash Raiser away. “Buchou!”

“Got it!” Rias called out as she appeared behind Raiser, stuffing the barrel of Devil Trigger into his back before firing. She then turned him around, slapped him in the face and put another bullet between his eyes. While Rias drew Raiser’s attention to her, Issei tossed the shield off the roof and next to Ruby.

“Are you okay!?” Issei asked as he constantly glanced back at Rias and her fight with Raiser, right before seeing Asia being blasted by a fireball. “Shit! Asia!”

“Don’t worry about us! Just keep helping Rias!” Ruby ordered as she painfully sat up. “We got this!”

“…Okay.” Issei replied hesitantly before throwing himself back into the fray. Ruby grinned, grabbing the shield. Seeing that Asia was nearby, she knew it couldn’t have been a more perfect time.

“Asia! Heads up!” Ruby yelled out as she slid the shield towards the former nun. Asia quickly spotted it, picked it up and held it up just in time to stop another fireball.

“You think a shield’s going to stop me?” Ravel taunted. “I’ve been holding back this entire time because I felt sorry for you, and you’re barely surviving my attacks! So why do you even bother fighting?”

“I’m not fighting! I’m protecting my friend!” Asia called out.

“I’m protecting a loved one too, you know.” Ravel countered. “Don’t assume it’s black and white! Now stop running away and attack me already!”

Asia looked at Ruby, who only gave her a worried look, before looking down at the shield she held in her hands. She tightened her grip on it before looking Ravel in the eye. Despite her mind telling her that this was suicide; that this was only going to hurt…

She remembered the pain everyone went through to rescue her from the abandoned church all that time ago… and ran at the Phoenix’s little sister with her shield raised.

Ravel just looked at the comparatively slow girl recklessly running straight at her and sighed. “That’s it, this is just getting pathetic.” She mumbled to herself before easily knocking away the shield when she got near before blasting her with a few fireballs and punching her in the gut and then the face, causing her to skid across the ground. Asia struggled to sit up after taking such a blow. She blacked out for a second back there. “Once again, I’m sorry but-“

“You lose.” Asia finished off.

“Huh?” Ravel got out before looking down… only gasp as she saw there was a mark on the middle of her chest. “What the-!? Is this…!?” She exclaimed as she panicked.

“You learn a thing or two after you experience it yourself.” Asia explained, deciding not to mention the actual number, before holding out her arm. “Forgive me for this, from those above to the people here on the ground. _Dress Break!_ ”

“NNNNOOOO!” Ravel cried out in horror as her clothes exploded into nothing but shreds. She quickly covered herself as she shivered. Damn, it was cold! “WHY!? I promised I’d join your peerage!”

“I’m sorry but… You would be betraying a loved one then. And… even you’re the enemy, I just know that you would never do that under normal circumstances.” Asia admitted. “So farewell.”

“And good-bye.” Ruby said as she aimed Crescent Rose at Ravel’s head. “It’s been fun while it lasted.”

Ravel just closed her eyes, knowing that she was done for… and that she needed a new set of clothes.

**_BANG!_ **

[Raiser Pheonix-sama’s last piece has retired. I repeat; Raiser-sama is the last of his peerage left in this Game.] Grayfia announced. Ruby just out a sigh of relief, before wincing as she felt pain rush up her shoulder. She still couldn’t face Raiser in this condition, so… it would be probably best if she sat out… but she didn’t want to. She wanted to help Issei and Rias fight Raiser. While she was very confident in the two… she wanted to be there fighting with them. Hearing more gunshots and feeling energy radiating from the rooftop, she forced herself to stand up.

She wasn’t going to leave them alone.

However, Asia put her back down and started healing her once again. Ruby noticed how tired and beaten she was, making her relent to the smarter idea of her staying out of the fight for the rest of the Game, but now she had to convince the former nun to stop helping her and help Issei and Rias. “Asia… thank you but… support the others… they need you more than me.” Ruby said. “I’ll be fine.”

“…Issei-san and Rias-buchou don’t need me.” Asia replied as she shook her head. “You can’t even stand up properly… you need me more.”

“Asia, you look like you’re about to collapse.” Ruby stated.

“I am.” Asia said, causing Ruby to quietly gasp. “I… I won’t be much help soon… I’m too tired, I can’t fight. It’s a struggle… to stay awake right now. At least the last thing I will do in this Game is helping you on your feet.”

“Asia…” Ruby whispered out before the Twilight Healing user helped her up. Ruby now noticed how tired she felt, but at least now her injuries were minimized. Some were still there, but they were just minor scratches and bruises. She still felt sore all over but she was in a much better state than she was in only a minute ago. She took one last look at her body… before hugging the former nun “…Thank you.”

Asia only giggled as she felt her consciousness starting to fade away. “You’re welcome… Ruby…” She said as she started to glow. “Please… finish this…”

“I will.” Ruby replied. The next thing she knew, she was only hugging air.

[Rias Gremory-sama’s Bishop has been retired.] Grayfia announced. Ruby took in a deep breath as she wiped away both her own tears and Asia’s, looking at the rooftop again where she saw Issei being thrown into the air, Raiser axe-kicking him back down. Ruby frowned, put away both her scythes before stumbling back into the school, too tired to use her Semblance or go faster than a walk.

She had a Rating Game to win.

(Rooftop)

“Having fun yet!?” Issei called out as he quickly assaulted Raiser with flurry of berserk punches, kicks and flips before drop-kicking him away. He didn’t know how times he boosted, he didn’t bother keeping track of how many, but the power he felt was unimaginable. He couldn’t believe this was the power of a Queen Piece, it was amazing! Combined with his Boosted Gear, he felt unstoppable. “Got that one from the arcade!”

“Issei! Move!” Rias shouted out, causing the Pawn to get out of the way so Rias could put more bullets into Raiser. She quickly shoved her shoulder into his stomach before following it up with a few jabs and shots before getting away. He was healing from every attack and they were starting to feel fatigue, but they kept going strong, putting as much pressure on the Phoenix as they could to wear him down until there was nothing left of his will. “We can do this all day Raiser! We won’t give up!”

“You talk about not giving up, but you know it’s not true.” Raiser said as he stood, not worse for wear. “You’ve already lost!”

“That’s what we should be saying to you!” Rias retorted. “It’s three-against-one, Raiser! Every single piece you have is retired!”

“I’m sorry; you still count that sorry excuse for a Devil lying broken on ground level? Don’t make me laugh.” Raiser said, causing Rias and Issei to growl before charging at him. He only smirked as Issei got to him first and started throwing punches at him. He countered every single one easily, pushing his fists away from him and getting in a few quick jabs which hit like a truck to the Pawn. Issei stumbled back as he clutched his side before narrowly dodging an uppercut.

Issei realized he was starting to get sloppy, straight up hand-to-hand combat was becoming a less viable method of attack. Thinking quickly, he grabbed the arm as used the momentum of the uppercut to get into the air.

He did a twist in the air to properly maneuver himself into the right position before he managed to land on Raiser’s shoulders. Wrapping his leg around his neck keep himself stable and to choke Raiser out, Issei proceeded to whack the Phoenix’s head as he tried to get the Pawn off his shoulders. “Buchou! Shoot! Shoot!” Issei called out as he tried his best to stay on.

Rias hesitated for a second as she realized there was a possibility that her Pawn might get shot by her own bullets before concentrating more of her Power of Destruction into her revolver. The drain on her energy was starting become noticeable but manageable. She wouldn’t need to pick her shots any time soon.

Speaking of which, she fired eight shots at Raiser. She missed with the first shot but the next five shots hit their mark; one in the right foot, one for each kneecap, one straight through the sternum and the last into his forever regenerating genitals.

The last two hit Issei in the right shoulder and, after going through Raiser’s head, his stomach.

“ISSEI!” Rias cried out as the Pawn fell off, hitting the ground as he clutched his wounds. Issei just coughed before rolling away as Raiser tried to crush his head with his foot. He got up and threw a few more punches, only for it to be countered and made him wide open for a beatdown.

When he managed to escape, Issei was nothing more than a bag of meat, sweat and blood. Rias could only watch as he forced himself to keep conscious, let alone move his body.

“I’m… I’m good! Just keep fighting!” Issei shouted out as he took a step forward and threw his gauntleted fist, only for it be met with Raiser’s own fist. Issei felt the wound in his shoulder get worse as he felt like he just punched a skyscraper. His arm shook as he tried to overpower Raiser, only to find himself on the losing end. He threw his other fist only for it to get caught as well. “Shit!”

Rias just watched as the ground beneath Issei started to crack as he slowly down to his knees, struggling to keep Raiser from destroying him. Rias didn’t want to attack because she feared she would only hurt her Pawn even more.

“No…! I… won’t… lose… in front of Buchou…!” Issei growled as he flared what was left of his Devil energy as he started to stand on his two feet. “I will win... I may be just a lowly Pawn now... but I will become the ultimate Pawn...! For Buchou! For my friends! For my dream! Give me _everything_ Sekiryuutei! I WANT TO BECOME THE **_HAREM KING_**!”

Issei roared as he felt his Sacred Gear go into overdrive as he began to push back Raiser, his Devil wings out as more and more power grew within him. With one last cry of effort he crushed Raiser’s hands, took a step back before pulling back his fist. “TOUCHDOWN!” He shouted out as his pupil narrowed into slits, feeling the dragon within awak-

[Rias Gremory-sama’s Pawn has retired. Only Rias-sama, Raiser-sama and Ruby-sama remain.] Grayfia announced just as Issei burst into particles of light.

“ISSEI!” Rias cried out at the empty spot her only Pawn was before collapsing to her knees, her legs unable to keep her standing from the shock of Issei’s sudden retirement.

‘Issei… you pushed your body too far… it couldn’t handle such power…’ She thought as she looked at Raiser, who only smiled at the riddance of the Pawn. ‘…For someone who doesn’t deserve it…’

“It seems your Pawn tuckered himself out mid-attack.” Raiser remarked as he turned to future bride. “I always knew he was unfit for such a Sacred Gear. It wouldn’t have even affected me even if he managed to not eliminate himself from the Game.”

“…No.” Rias whispered out before getting back on her feet. “That would’ve ended this Game… I know my servants like the back of hand and I guarantee… you wouldn’t be here talking to me! He may be just a Pawn… but you cannot look past it and realize I’d rather marry him than you!” She loudly admitted. “Not because of his strength or blood, but because of his courage, his will… and his belief in me…” She mumbled as she placed a hand over her heart.

“Gremory-chan, face facts. We’re both out of Pieces but I have proven multiple times in the past that I can finish this Game at any time I want. And that Human King is no longer here to help you, like she would be nothing more than a damsel in distress.” Raiser said. “Now why keep fighting when it would be only delaying the inevitable?”

“Shut up! Ruby is…!” Rias shouted out only to calm down. “Ruby treated me like no one special, that I was simply another person not someone you should put up on a pedestal… She doesn’t care about me being a Gremory, but rather me being Rias.  I just know both of them… they’ll become some of the greatest Devils in history and make sure you’re nothing more than a memory!”

Rias just closed her eyes as she started remembering everything the others had given her… but what stood out were the memories of Ruby and Issei.

_“There’s a simple unstoppable force that binds us together. In life and death, we promise… we’ll never leave you alone…” Ruby and Issei whispered to themselves as Asia opened her eyes._

_“After all, I like Buchou as Buchou already. I don’t know anything about Gremory or about the Devils' world, but to me Rias-buchou is Rias-buchou… Nggh, I don’t understand all the complicated stuff but to me the usual Buchou is the best!” Issei declared with his biggest smile._

_“Yeah, I mean, **Rias** is the reason we’re friends in the first place, not Rias Gremory.” Ruby said with a smile plastered onto her face._

_“That’s bullshit!” Issei shouted out. “There’s no way anyone has a right to do that! Not even your own family!”_

_“…Trust me, Prez.” Ruby said softly. “I won’t lose that easily.”_

“…Because it’s not inevitable!” Rias declared as she opened her eyes, aimed Devil Trigger at Raiser in one hand while charging the Power of Destruction in the other. “My destiny isn’t set in stone! It can’t be written by my brother, you or anyone else in this world! The answer is so simple that you’re too blind to see it! My name is _Rias_ , and I decide my own fate! Now _get out of my sight_!”

With that, she threw out a large ball of death in Raiser’s direction. Raiser was prepared to get of it… until Rias shot it, causing it to explode between them. Rias quickly shielded herself from the blast, keeping her feet planted on the ground. When she stopped, she saw that Raiser was missing. Automatically, she saw him in the air with his fist engulfed in flames.

Shooting him wouldn’t stop him so it was time to get a little more… personal.

She quickly reached under her skirt and pulled out her _second_ surprise for Raiser (that Ruby made, of course); a red dagger with a dragon’s head for the hilt and the blade designed to look like fire with touches of gold on the eyes of the dragon and on the blade.

She didn’t think as she jammed the dagger into his neck while using her other hand to grab onto his side. She then used the momentum of Raiser’s attack and used it against him, throwing him to the side and onto the ground while simultaneously pulling out her weapon and using her wings to get some distance from him.

Raiser recovered rather quickly as he cracked his neck, the wound healing in an instant. “Really, you think a knife if going to win you the Game?” Raiser had to ask.

“No… but it will run out the timer.” Rias replied as she smirked as another announcement was made.

[Thirty minutes until dawn. Be aware, there is only thirty minutes until the end of the Rating Game.] The sound of Grayfia’s voice filled the air of the mostly empty and ruined battlefield.

“…You’ve been trying to force a draw this entire time.” Raiser realized. “There has _never_ been a draw in a Rating Game.”

“Until now.” Rias finished as she started to explain her way of thinking. “I know I can’t win and I know Ruby is climbing up those stairs right now to try and help me. I know I can’t win now, but at least I can drag this out into a draw. This could go several ways; It could come down to a vote on our performance and I’d say me and Ruby’s entire peerages of Low-Class Devils defeating several High-Class Devils, as well as this being our first Rating Game, I’d say we’d win by a landslide. We might also have to participate in another Rating Game, and given the fact how injured our peerages are, we’re going to have a rest period to heal and train back up. And given the fact we managed to come this far with only ten days of training, imagine what we can do with much more time. Again, this scenario involves our combined peerage winning. Or, lastly, it’ll be simply declared a draw and nothing happens or we reach a compromise. This one however is my least favorite of the three because all the compromises I can think of involves me carrying your child and that… that just can’t do. If it doesn’t have a conclusion I like… I’ll just stop using the Gremory name, and simply become another Devil, no longer connected to any of the seventy-two pillars destroy what little chance you have of continuing the line of Pure-Blooded Devils into nothing.”

“WHAT!?” Raiser exclaimed. “You are seriously considering abandoning your own clan!? Do you know what will happen!?”

“Yes. Very much.” Rias said as Raiser tried to comprehend Rias’ threat and decision. “I’ve done some things that can be considered despicable… but admittingly I choose to ignore it. But as soon as Ruby put everything on the line, I did as well. I’d even take her place if I had to, but then so many people would miss me… we’re bound by an unstoppable force that connects us all. Raiser, everyone here was fighting for my happiness, fighting because they knew that if I ended up with you that I’d be miserable. I’m even feeling miserable just standing near you. This wasn’t an obligation because they were a part of my peerage, no Raiser. It’s because they knew me, they trusted me and well, Ruby decided to bet her life on this. Some were scared, some were ready but they all know how important this thing is. It only resorted to violence, to this primal way of settling disputes, because you couldn’t understand that this would only you happy while everyone else suffers. It’s like a quote I heard once. It goes: _You know; there's one thing you Freelancers always seem to forget. And that's the fact that we've managed to kick your ass time and time again. Oh sure, you've got all your smart plans, and your fancy technology, and your advanced training, but, in the end, what has that gotcha? Without a team you can count on and your fellow soldier by your side, all that doesn't really amount to squat, now does it? So instead of standing there bellyaching all day, just tell us, are you gonna keep playing it safe... Or do you wanna get a little reckless?_ ”

Raiser only stared at Rias after the long speech she gave him and tried to remember if he read that quote from somewhere… only to figure out that no book in existence had that quote by using simple logic.

“By the way, I was just wasting as much time as possible until I ran out of stuff to talk about. We only have fifteen minutes left.” Rias happily informed. “You wanna punch me right now, don’t you?”

Rias didn’t even blink when she had to dodge a punch to the face, she was expecting it. She countered by shooting him in the leg, only for the Phoenix to push the barrel away just in time for it to shoot the ground, but Rias slashed his face in retaliation, stunning him.

Rias didn’t lighten up her assault as she stabbed him in the stomach, twisted the blade before pulling it up, and slashed away at his chest before jumping away as she shot him in the face.

‘Keep stalling him until this Game ends. Hopefully Ruby doesn’t get here in time.’ Rias thought as she moved out of the way of a counter attack. The attacks were absolutely brutal. She could see the sonic booms created with just his punches and feel the intense heat on her skin and it burned. But she kept going as ducked under one kick before tackling him to ground, stabbing him in the chest repeatedly while shooting him in the face.

Raiser got Rias off him and kicked her in the stomach, forcing her onto the ground face first before stomping on her back to bury her in the rooftop, but not before Rias got another shot off and his Raiser in the crotch for the millionth time.

The Ruin Princess groaned in pain before stabbing his foot and pulling herself up to her feet to shoot him in the stomach. She then smashed the revolver into his head while stabbing his eye out, only to be grabbed, raised over his head before getting hit with a back-breaker.

However, she recovered quickly and did a roundhouse kick, sweeping him off his feet. She grabbed him and flew into the air. Then as she neared the edge of the barrier, she threw him up as hard as she could, put away her gun to charge up another orb of destruction until it was just bigger than her before blasting it Raiser, causing a huge explosion that made her shield her eyes.

She regretted doing that as Raiser flew out of the destruction and straight at her, his clothes in ruins. Rias cursed before intercepting him with a few swings with the dagger as he punched and kicked her all the while as they fell back down to the rooftop, blowing each other away at the last second with their Devil energy.

They both pulled themselves out of their craters and glared at each other. Rias was clutching onto her arm as she kept a tight grip onto her dagger, blood running down her face and leg while Raiser was perfectly fine apart from the damage to his clothes.

Just the sight of him only reminded Rias how powerful a Phoenix was.

But she wanted to keep fighting, to drag on the fight as best as she could until dawn.

[Five minutes until dawn. I repeat; it is five minutes until dawn.] Grayfia announced, causing Rias to smile.

“It’s not over yet Rias-chan.” Raiser growled out. “Your hand will be mine.”

“Then you just have to rip it off my corpse if you win.” Rias said as she went into a battle stance.

“ _I won’t lose_!” They shouted out as they both charged at each other, clashing the middle. Rias winced slightly before kneeing the Phoenix in the stomach to force him to stop, only for him to push harder. Rias started to panic as she quickly saw herself losing in this test of physical strength.

That was, until a door blind-sided him and knocked him away.

Rias was stunned as she jumped back and looked in the direction where the door came from.

And there she saw Ruby, leaning tiredly on the doorframe she just kicked off its hinges and clutching onto Crescent Rose.

“I… I’m here Prez.” Ruby panted out as she started walking towards Rias. “Everything still kinda hurts… had to drag myself upstairs from ground level… and I wanna sleep so badly… but I’m here…”

“Ruby! Go away! Now!” Rias warned just as Raiser recovered from the attack and rushed towards Ruby.

“No! We can beat him!” Ruby shouted out as countered Raiser with an overhead swing of her scy-ilfe, stopping him in his tracks before cutting open his stomach, stabbing him in the heart with the bottom of her weapon’s shaft and then blasting him in the face while kicking him away. Ruby quickly grimaced as she almost collapsed to her knees. She did those motions a little too quickly. “We can do this! Together.”

“You’re in no condition to fight.” Rias said as she frowned at her fellow King. “We only need five more minutes!”

“And end in a draw!? We don’t know what happens with a draw!” Ruby pointed out. “And like you’re one to talk! You look like you’ve gone through a meat grinder! Don’t you want my help!?”

“You help wasn’t _needed_ in the first place!” Rias growled out. “I had this covered from the beginning, but you had to go and sacrifice your life against an immortal opponent for someone like me! I don’t need your help, Ruby!”

“Oh _puh-lease_ …” Ruby said as she rolled her eyes. They were now completely ignoring their opponent, who only looked on with an amused expression on his face. “Me and my friends helped you because your happiness was on the line!”

“It wasn’t their problem! It’s not _your_ problem! You dragged them into this!”

“Because I don’t want my friends to be miserable, you stupid bitch! Seriously, why the fuck have you been trying get me out of this Game when I’m _trying to help you_!”

“BECAUSE I FUCKING LET YOU DIE!”

“…”

“…”

“…”

Silence fell upon the rooftop as soon as those words left Rias’ mouth, and she didn’t look regretful as she continued to yell at the Human King.

“I LET YOU AND YOUR TEAM FUCKING DIE BACK AT THAT FALLEN ANGEL THING, JUST SO I COULD HAVE MORE ALLIES FOR THIS STUPID FUCKING RATING GAME SO I WOULDN’T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS FUCKING MARRIAGE WITH THAT FUCKING JACKASS!”

“Rias…” Ruby tried to stop the King, but she ignored it and kept going.

“AND AS SOON AS YOU WERE REVIVED BY SOMEONE ELSE, I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH YOU SO I TRAINED YOU, TRYING TO MAKE YOU A BETTER DEVIL JUST HOPING YOU’D TRUST ME AND HELP ME! BUT THEN YOU HAD TO GO AND THROW YOUR LIFE AWAY FOR ME JUST TO BE HERE AND LOOK AT WHERE IT’S GOT YOU! FIGHTING SOMEONE WHO OUTMATCHES US IN EVERY SINGLE WAY WHO CAN’T BE BEATEN BY NORMAL METHODS! WE HAD TO HAVE THE STRENGTH OF GOD TO TAKE HIM DOWN!”

“R-Rias…” Ruby said, her voice getting weaker.

“AFTER ALL THESE DAYS OF KNOWING YOU, I FELT GUILTY FOR EVERYTHING I’VE DONE! I LIED! I DECIEVED! I TRICKED YOU INTO THINKING YOU SHOULD TRUST ME! WELL YOU FUCKING SHOULDN’T NOW, BECAUSE YOU KNOW EVERYTHING! **_I LET ISSEI AND TEAM RWBY DIE!_** ” Rias finished her rant before calming down slightly. “Now sit back, shut up, and let me fight to make this up for you so you’ll never have to see me again!”

“Rias.” Ruby was barely audible, but it was enough to set Rias off again.

“I said, SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Rias screamed out. Now, the only sounds that filled the air were Rias panting as she tried to regain her composure. It felt like… a weight just lifted from her chest. “I’m… I’m sorry… it had to be this way. Good-bye Ruby.” Rias mumbled out before heading towards Raiser…

…Only to stop as she heard two words come from Ruby’s lips.

“I forfeit.”

Rias automatically turned around and saw Ruby on her knees, her hand raised in the air as Crescent Rose laid to the side. “R-Ruby… What are you… No… Don’t…” Rias begged, her problems forgotten as she solely focused on the Red Reaper. “RUBY!”

“I…” Ruby swallowed as she uttered the final nail in her own coffin.

“I, King Ruby Rose of Team Nokori, forfeit myself from this Rating Game. I accept all responsibilities of all my actions… and will obey the terms of my loss.”

[…Are you sure?] Grayfia asked.

“I am sure. It’s my loss.” Ruby replied automatically as she closed her eyes. “…I resign.”

And with that… she was gone.

As Rias stared at the spot Ruby just was as the sun started to rise behind her, she closed her eyes as well. As she felt herself being teleported away, she could only just whisper to herself as tears fell from her eyes. “Ruby… Everyone… I... No, I...”

She didn’t even bother to hear the last announcement.

[Ruby Rose-sama forfeits. Raiser Phoenix-sama wins the Rating Game.]


	20. A Simple Engagement

“Issei…” Ruby whispered out as she looked at the sleeping Boosted Gear wielder, peacefully in his bed. She hadn’t been able to see for the past two days because, well, she was busy. And all this time he was unconscious, completely unaware of the girl standing over him or the other visitors that came to see him.

Speaking of which, her interactions with her peerage was a nightmare.

Yang was out like Issei, but everyone else was fine. They yelled, they cried and they did everything they could to prevent her death… but she had fully accepted it. She had decided not to tell them what Rias told her, it deserved to come from the Gremory herself. Today was the day of the engagement party and in the early hours of the morning, she had gotten Grayfia to lock her peerage in the apartment to prevent them from interfering, keeping Yang in locked in the bedroom to make sure she wouldn’t out until it was done in case she woke up.

It was her choice… her words that put her life on the line… and after what Rias said; she was perfectly willing to do what she must to make this right.

Speaking of Rias, they hadn’t even seen each other since the Rating Game. Ruby really didn’t know what to do if they did. It was just… there were so many things running through her head. So many emotions that she could barely understand which one was the one she should’ve felt at the time.

But it didn’t matter now. It was time.

“Ruby-sama. It’s time to go.” Grayfia told her from the door. She was given orders by Raiser himself to escort her to the engagement party so she could prepare for her public suicide.

“Give me a few more seconds.” Ruby said, not taking her eyes off the first friend she ever made on Earth. With a deep breath, she pulled out a letter from her pocket and placed it on his chest, kissing him on the forehead before leaving.

“Is everything done? Are your affairs in order?” Grayfia asked as they walked down the hall, perfectly hiding the fact that she was rather sad and upset at the results of the Rating Game.

“As I’ll ever be.” Ruby replied. “Did you do everything like I asked you to?”

“To the letter.” Grayfia answered. “It’s rather strange what you asked of me, but they are your last wishes.”

“They kinda are, huh…” Ruby humorlessly chuckled out. “It really is happening…” the Strongest Queen nodded to that. “So… how’s Rias doing?”

“She locked herself in her room. Only members of her peerage were allowed to enter.” Grayfia informed.

“Oh, right. Blake told me that.” Ruby said sheepishly, sighing as they walked down the stairs. Small talk wasn’t settling her nerves. “Ugh… this whole thing is a mess…”

“And you don’t know who to blame, do you?” Grayfia guessed, which Ruby stayed quiet to as she laid her hand on her chest. “You don’t know if you should blame yourself, Rias-sama, Raiser-sama or the Gremory Clan. I would say it would be all your faults for this situation.”

“I… I… feel like I should blame myself for it.” Ruby admitted as they left Issei’s house and walked down the street. “Ugh, if I didn’t convince my team to stalk Issei… Hell, if I hadn’t made that stupid bet I wouldn’t be here. But everything else in my brain says I should blame Rias for letting us die or Raiser and the Gremory’s for forcing her hand. It’s just… I don’t know if I should be angry or sad.”

“You would only be wasting your energy.” Grayfia said. “You should only focus on what matters now. You can let your emotions out later.”

“There won’t be a later, remember?” Ruby pointed out… only for Grayfia to narrow her eyes at her. “What are you doing? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You know you’re not as subtle as you think.” The Queen stated as she stopped and crossed her arms under her massive bust.

“Wh-What are you talking about?” Ruby asked as she tried to hide her nervousness. “I-I’m not…”

“You’re planning to fight Raiser at the engagement party.” Grayfia deadpanned. “I never doubted for a second you would give up so easily and forfeit the Rating Game unless you had a plan. You’re very easy to read.”

“I… I… No I-I-I-I’m n-n-n-not!” Ruby stuttered out. “I-I’m perfectly ready and willing and I’m not convincing you in the slightest, am I…?”

“Considering your Pawn wasn’t at your peerage’s apartment when I sealed it, it wasn’t that difficult to work out by myself.” The maid stated as she jerked her thumb behind her back. “Besides, a lamppost is not a very effective hiding spot.”

“What the-“ Ruby said before turning around to Pancakes, who was wearing a dark green baseball cap with branches taped onto it, standing perfectly straight behind a lamppost, occasionally poking her head out. “Huh!? Pancakes!? What did I tell you about sticking to trees!?”

“But Mistress, there are no suitable trees in the area so I found the next best possible object that will allow me to follow you and Grayfia-sama given the criteria you have given me!” Pancakes called out.

“Probably would’ve been smart to tell her about other hiding spots…” Ruby mumbled out. “Probably would’ve been smarter to tell her to fly behind us…”

“Ruby-sama, if Issei-sama and Rias-sama together can’t beat him then there is little to no chance you’ll beat him by yourself.” Grayfia pointed out.

“That’s because his harem wore us down. If not physically, it was mentally.” Ruby explained. “I didn’t get the chance to really fight him, so I’m going to fix that the party.”

“But you would be disobeying your own terms. There will be severe consequences.” Grayfia said.

“Yeah? My promise to Rias is more important.” Ruby stated. “I won’t just lie down and die while my friends’ happiness goes down the drain. Pancakes!” She called out. Quickly, the soulless Pawn pulled out Death Rose and threw it to her. Ruby didn’t even look as she caught it, jumped back as it unfolded and settled into a battle stance. “You can’t stop me even if you tried.”

Grayfia only looked at Ruby, noting the determined expression on her face. She was serious about fighting if she stood in her way. The maid only sighed as she rubbed her forehead in slight frustration.

“Who said I was going to stop you?” Grayfia asked, causing Ruby to visibly relax as she let out a breath. Looks like she knew it was a fight she would never win. “I’m just giving you a clearer picture of your disposition.”

“Just… I know what I’m doing. Let me decide my fate.” Ruby said.

“…You do know we’re using a Summoning Circle to get to the assembly hall, so having your Pawn follow you would be impractical.” Grayfia said after a few seconds of silence. “And if you are going to fight Raiser-sama, I suggest you wait a few minutes before you do. Sirzechs-sama has an interest in you and Issei-sama.”

Ruby only smirked at that.

(A few hours later…)

[You disappoint me, Issei Hyoudou. The power you wielded was not your strength.]

Issei slowly opened his eyes, only seeing red as he got up. He looked around and saw a red dragon with green in front of him, looking at him. Studying him.

“What the…!?” Issei got out as he took a few steps back.

[You were only able to control a fraction of my true power for one second and ended up almost killing yourself. Way to go, you lasted at least a few milliseconds more than I was expecting.] The dragon sarcastically said as it huffed fire out of its nose. [If you are like that, you will never get stronger.]

“Huh…? I don’t understand what’s happening….?” Issei groaned out as he rubbed his head in confusion.

[You are a unique l being who possesses a Dragon within you, so don't show such a miserable state. The "White-One" would laugh at you if he was here.] The red dragon sighed out.

“Hold on… You’re… You’re the dragon from back then, right!?” Issei exclaimed. “In my dream! Hold on… Boosted Gear Gift… was that you?”

[Yeah, that's what you desired, what I desired, and what the White-One desired.] The dragon stated. [That's why it went into a new phase.]

“I… I desired it…?” Issei said in confusion. “And who the heck is this White-One you keep talking about!?”

[He will appear before you sooner or later. Yeah, he and I are destined to fight.] The dragon said casually. [Oh yeah, by the way, it's about my power. Yeah… you kinda suck at it, so I will teach you how to use its real power.]

“I-I don’t suck that bad!” Issei called out… before sighing. “Okay, you’re kinda right but I’m not that bad!”

[Yes you are. A twelve-year-old can utilize my power better than you.] The dragon deadpanned. [You better be thankful, I’m actually kinda pissed you chose to fizzle out when things were about to get good so I may as well give you a better shot at that guy. Just looking at him kinda pisses me off. And the only people that can piss me off usually are the White-One and my ex.]

“…You know, I think we’re gonna get along great.” Issei remarked with a smirk. “So… Just what on Earth are you…? And you dated?”

[The Welsh-Dragon, Ddraig, Issei Hyoudou. I'm the one inside of your left arm. And yes, and let me tell you do not want to meet her.] The now-named Ddraig introduced himself. Issei just stared in awe at the dragon as he looked at his left arm.

“Welsh-Dragon… Ddraig…” Issei muttered out. “Um… nice to meet you?”

[Same.] Ddraig said off-handedly as he shrugged his shoulders. [You know, losing can be all right given situation. If you don't die, losing can become your strength. However, it only means something if you win the next fight. Lose then win. Then continue to win. If you do that, you will meet him.]

“Yeah, unless it means someone dies because you lose…” Issei mumbled out, not knowing if they won or not.

[That doesn’t mean you stop fighting. It means you fight harder.] Ddraig said. [Besides… that girl isn’t one to give up so easily, is she?]

“…Yep, sure she is.” Issei said with a small smile. “So, what’s the White-One? What’s going to happen between you and that guy? Is he American or something?”

[You will know soon enough. Get stronger for that coming day. I will give you my power anytime you want.] Ddraig replied. [However, keep it in your mind that it will come with a sacrifice of something great. I will give you something that is worth the sacrifice. You can show it to those who laughed at you. The existence of a _Dragon_ that is.]

“Er… okay?” Issei said as his consciousness started to fade.

Issei slowly opened his eyes, feeling like he had slept for ages. He groaned as he sat up, noticing he was shirtless and that he was back in his room. “Ugh… What happened…?” He moaned out as he rubbed his eyes as he remembered the conversation he had with the Welsh Dragon. “Losing then winning, huh?”

He then spotted a letter with Ruby’s emblem on his lap.

“Hm? What’s this?” Issei said as he opened up the letter.

_Issei_

_If you’re reading this then… we lost. I don’t know how but we lost. Damn, it’s so morbid to write this only a few days away from the Rating Game but… I have to take into account every possibility._

_And that includes if we lose._

_I… I’m not sure what to write in all honesty but can you tell Rias that I’m sorry? It’s the only thing I can think right now because it would probably be my fault we lose or something and I… I don’t have a chance to say it in person to her._

_Ugh…! This is so depressing!_

_Look, I’m writing this only to you and not everyone else because I’m freaking out. I have no idea what this thing is supposed to be about apart from “in case we lose, do x for me!” And even that fucking sucks! I am actually having a freak out right now and I’m writing this in because I wanna stay quiet and let everyone sleep._

_So, um… I’m gonna step away from this piece of paper and bang my head against a tree for a few minutes._

_Um… what was I doing again?_

_You know what, just ignore everything above and just focus on what I’m trying to say, er, write._

_I mean… This letter is going nowhere, isn’t it?_

It certainly was because the paper looked crumpled up. However, Issei couldn’t help but smirk as he saw what Ruby had crudely wrote over it in either blood or red paint.

**LET’S DO THIS TOGETHER THIS TIME  
RxD**

“Good to see she still has fight in her.” Issei muttered to himself before doing a double take. “Wait, hold on! _This time_? Does this mean…!?”

"It looks like you are awake." Grayfia said as she walked into the room.

“Grayfia-san! The match? What happened to Buchou!? What happened to Ruby!?" Issei frantically asked.

“Raiser-sama won the match.” Grayfia answered. “Ruby-sama resigned.”

“H-Huh? What!?” Issei exclaimed as he looked at the maid in disbelief. “Y-You have to be kidding me!”

“I do not kid, Issei Hyoudou-sama.” The silver-haired maid stated, causing Issei to look at the letter in his hands. “I assume Ruby-sama said so in that letter.”

“K-Kind of…” Issei replied as tears ran down his face as he punched his bed in frustration. “Damn it! I’m so pathetic and weak!”

“Do not blame yourself for the Rating Game. We have plenty of people you know already doing that.” Grayfia said as she sat down on the side of his bed. “Currently, the engagement party for Ojou-sama and Raiser-sama is taking place, as well as Ruby-sama’s… promise. It's at the assembly hall in the Underworld that was prepared by the House of Gremory."

“…Where’s everyone else then?” Issei asked.

“Ojou-sama peerage went to escort her. Only Issei-sama and Asia-sama didn’t go.” Grayfia answered. “Meanwhile, Ruby-sama requested her peerage to remain behind and had me seal them in their apartment.”

“Asia didn’t go?” Issei questioned, not surprised that Ruby would prevent her friends from going to the engagement party.

"Due to Rias-sama's wish, Asia-sama stayed here with me taking care of you, Issei-sama.” The maid replied. “She went downstairs to get a new towel for you."

“She probably would’ve stayed with me anyways.” Issei humourlessly chuckled out before clutching onto Ruby’s letter. “…Grayfia, I…”

“I know what you’re going to say.” The maid interrupted. “…Can’t you come to agree with this?”

“If you know what I was about to say, then you already know my answer.” Issei said as he gave her a determined expression.

“But you do realize both Rias-ojousama and Ruby-sama obeyed the family's decision and terms?" Grayfia pointed out.

“I understand that! I know that!” Issei called out. “But it doesn’t mean we can stop! We fight harder. Do better and win! I won’t let that bastard touch Buchou nor let Ruby’s blood be spilled until the very last second!”

Grayfia only stared at the Boosted Gear wielder before chuckling to herself, causing Issei to be taken aback. This was the first time he ever saw the maid smile… or have her emote, for that matter.

“You two are rather similar in one department.” Grayfia remarked. “You’re both stupidly stubborn and display suicidal bravery.”

“Hey, real bravery’s being scared but you keep going anyway.” Issei said with smirk. “And stupidity’s in my blood! That’s how Issei Hyoudou lives and dies!”

"Well, for all it’s worth, you two are very interesting people.” Grayfia stated as she gave him a small smile. “At my age, I have seen many Devils come and go, however it is my first time seeing someone like you two who shows what you are thinking with your face, and acts accordingly to what you believes in. My master, Sirzechs-sama, was watching your efforts in the battle from another place and said that you two were _interesting_ you know?"

“M-M-Maou-samaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?” Issei trailed off, stunned that he and Ruby were considered _interesting_ by one of the Devil Kings. “Wait, do you mean the good interesting or the bad interesting?”

“The good interesting.” Grayfia replied as she pulled out a piece of paper. Issei grabbed it saw it was a Simplified Pentagram. “This allows you teleport to the hall of the engagement party of the House of Gremory and House of Phoenix."

“What?” Issei said in disbelief. He thought he would have to convince her to allow him into the party. “Why do you have something like this?”

“Actually, I have a message from Sirzechs-sama for you." Grayfia said as she cleared her throat before her expression turned serious once again. “ _If you want to save my sister and the Human King, barge into the hall and,_ this is a direct quote, _kick the necessary amount of ass._ That's what he said. There is also another Pentagram on the back of the paper. Please use it when you take back Ojou-sama. I am definitely sure that it will be useful to you."

“Thanks.” Issei said as he looked at the piece of paper. “Hey, do you really believe we can do this?” He asked as Grayfia got up.

She only gave him a look.

Issei got the message and just nodded.

"When you were sleeping, I felt a strong power within you, Issei-sama.” Grayfia noted. “The Dragons are the only beings that didn't form an alliance with God, the Devils, or the Fallen Angels. If it's that dreadful power, then…” Grayfia stopped herself continuing before leaving.

Issei only looked at the paper before getting off the bed.

‘Don’t worry guys, I’m coming.’ Issei thought as he got dressed. ‘Don’t start without me Ruby. Hey Ddraig, think you can do something for me?’

(RWBY Apartment)

“RUBY!” Weiss shouted out as she banged on the door. Everyone, except Pancakes and Yang, had woken up in the living room in their pajamas, their weapons in the bedroom, which was sealed away. As soon as they realized it, they all tried to escape. After scouring the apartment for escape routes, Weiss had gotten fed up and decided to call for help. “I SWEAR IF IT’S ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR HAREBRAINED SCHEMES, I’M GONNA LOSE IT! HELLO!? IS ANYONE THERE!?”

“It’s no use. Someone must’ve used magic to seal us in here. Probably even sound-proofed the area too.” Blake groaned. “We can’t even get into the bedroom. We’re trapped here.”

“What are we going to do? The engagement party could be starting any minute now. It could’ve already started!” Penny informed, extremely worried and upset with their situation.

“I don’t know. As much as I hate to admit it, all we can do it wait.” Blake said with a sigh. “But damn it, if only Yang was here. She could at least bust down a wall… though I doubt that would work…”

“Oh right… Yang…” Weiss muttered out as she looked down sadly. “She’s going to be devastated…”

“There’s a high probability that she will go on a warpath if Ruby dies.” Penny said. “Possibly worse than that.” Penny then sighed. “Ruby, why did you forfeit…?”

“Wouldn’t say. We just have to hope.” Blake said.

“I think we’re lacking in that department right now.” Weiss sighed out as she walked away from the door and looked out the window as Zwei jumped into her arms. Weiss could only smile sadly as she pet the corgi. “Don’t you die on us Ruby…”

“I’d be more worried about Yang right now.” Blake stated. “She hasn’t even moved an inch since her retirement from the Rating Game. If she wasn’t breathing, I’d mistake her for dead.”

“I detected abnormal brain activity and her eyes were moving wildly last I checked.” Penny informed. “She seems to be having a rather intense dream.”

“Really wish I could be in Yang’s shoes right now.” Weiss admitted. “I mean, she just so… Yang. She doesn’t let a lot worry her most of the time. I bet whatever she’s dreaming is fun.”

Meanwhile, in Yang’s dreams, she was having the time of her life.

“ **WHY WON’T YOU DIE!?** ” Yang yelled out as jumped up and punched the golden dragon in the face. She then grabbed onto its nose and started firing shotgun shells into its nostril before kicking off in and landing back on the ground. She didn’t hesitate as a giant claw came down on her, lift her arms up just in time to stop it from crushing her.

How long had she been fighting this thing? Hours? Days? Weeks?

No, she knew the real answer. It felt like _years_.

The battlefield was Vale, or what was left of it. Ruined buildings and corpses littered the area, the sky grey and cloudy yet not a single drop of rain fell the entire time. She had fought the dragon at Beacon as well, destroying everything standing between them until eventually, it became a crater.

The longer she fought, the stronger she felt. And it wasn’t just from her Semblance; it was something else that was fueling her strength. She couldn’t feel tired or hungry or feel anything that could distract her from fighting. Pain just drove her to do better.

“Rrgh… Come on! Is that all you got!? If you’re trying to kill me, you’ve been doing a really bad job at it!” Yang growled as she used all her strength to throw the claw off her and dived out of the way of a fire breath. “Seriously, this fight can’t _drag on_ any longer!” She punned. “Heh, good one. Whoa!”

She quickly stomped the ground, making a make-shift shield from the concrete which guarded against another breath attack before lifting it up and charging at the dragon. It roared as it swiped the air, creating a blast of wind that flattened the area in front of it. Yang just stomped her feet into the ground as the concrete shield disintegrated into dust in front of her.

“I’ll keep dishing it if you keep taking it! Come on! I know you can do better than that!” Yang taunted.

“… ** _Fine._** ” The dragon, who turned out to be female, finally said.

Then it _roared_.

Yang screamed out in pain as she covered her ears, despite the fact they had already started bleeding. All around her, reality was unraveling, shattering like glass and revealing pitch black nothingness. When she finally stopped roaring, she flew towards the weakened Huntress-in-Training and grabbed her.

Yang was only vaguely aware of her surroundings as the last shreds of Vale and reality crumbled. When she finally snapped out of it, she was too late as she slammed into an invisible wall, the tip of claw on her neck, barely penetrating her skin with ease.

“ ** _Now, will you stop? As much as I enjoyed this, I am not your enemy._** ” The dragon said in a calm tone. Yang noticed that the dragon’s mouth wasn’t moving when she spoke. She shook her head and start started struggling to throw the claw off her.

“How about GO TO HELL!” Yang yelled out as she escaped and ran up the dragon’s arm before delivering a punch to the side of her head as hard as she could.

The dragon barely flinched while Yang nursed her broken arm.

“ ** _It’s futile to fight me. You will never succeed._** ” The dragon stated.

“Shut up!” Yang called out as she stood her ground. “Just what the hell are you!?”

“ ** _You do not remember, do you?_** ” The dragon sighed out.

“Hold on… from before. That dream!” Yang figured out. “Are… Are you my Sacred Gear?” She hesitantly asked.

“… ** _Sort of like that._** ” The dragon softly chuckled out.

“Then how does this thing work!?” Yang demanded as she summoned it.

“ ** _I will tell you when you need me._** ” The dragon replied, only making Yang angrier. “ ** _You’ve been able to handle everything that has been thrown at you so far, even when I weakened you during that war._** ”

“Wait, war…?” Yang repeated before remembering. “Oh right, the Rating Game! Ruby! That means I’m… _You_.” She growled out, her eyes turning red. “You made me retire early, didn’t you!?”

“ ** _Among other factors. Stupid Red making me horny…_** ” The dragon grumbled quietly to herself. “ ** _Like I said, I will only help you if you need me._** ”

“Well, I needed your strength then!” Yang shouted out, her hair alight. “So give me your strength now! Because of you Ruby could be… No… no, we should’ve won. Just get me out of here!”

“ ** _Hmph. Fine._** ” The dragon said as she picked Yang off her shoulder. “ ** _But you will need me_**.”

“No, I won’t.” Yang said, giving the dragon her best glare. The dragon only huffed in annoyance… before casually crushing Yang’s head.

“YAH!” Yang screamed out as she sat up, breathing heavily as she looked around. Seeing that she was in the apartment bedroom and in her pajamas, she just laid back on her bed and sighed. “What was that about…?” She groaned out as she rubbed her forehead. As she felt metal, she stopped to look and see that she had Bloodlust on. “If you aren’t gonna tell me how you work I’m never going to use you again…”

And with that she jumped off her bunk and walked to the door. She jiggled the handle and saw that it was locked.

“There wasn’t a lock on the door…” Yang muttered to herself as she started banging her fist on the door. “Hello? Ruby? Anyone? I’m kinda trapped here! Someone?”

No response.

“Alright, time for the manual way.” Yang said as she took a few steps back before running headlong at the door with the intent of breaking it down. However, she was unable to stop herself as she saw a symbol magically appear on the door like one of Weiss’ glyphs, which blasted her back into the back wall.

That was a really bad sign.

“No… no, no way…” Yang growled as she peeled herself off the wall as she tried to figure out a reason why she was locked in the bedroom other than the worst possible scenario. “We couldn’t have… no, we should’ve… It was because I was injured right…?”

‘ ** _No… You know why you’re here…_** ’ The dragon told her in her head. ‘ ** _You know the reason why…_** ’

“Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!” Yang yelled out as she charged at the door and started punching it over and over again, yet whatever magic that was keeping her locked in wasn’t letting her fists connect to the door. “We! Won! WE! WON!”

‘ ** _No, you lost…_** ’ The dragon said in a mocking tone. ‘ ** _Your sister is going to die and it’s all your fault…_** ’

“IT’S YOURS, YOU STUPID PIECE OF SHIT!” Yang shouted out as she stopped and stomped around the room. “Stop talking to me!” She cried out as she went to her knees, clutching her head as tears started to fall down her face. “Please… let this entire thing be a dream…”

‘ ** _Should it matter whose fault it is? All that should matter to you is the fact your loved one is in danger._** ’ The dragon stated. ‘ ** _And here you are, weak and powerless to stop it. You need me._** ’

“I don’t… You’re just trying to… who are you…?” Yang whispered out.

‘ ** _Something you don’t deserve._** ’ The dragon answered. ‘ ** _But you do need me, don’t you? Let me help you, I can let you kill gods..._** ’

“No… I… I…” Yang tried to convince herself she didn’t need her Sacred Gear to stop Raiser and save Ruby… but she knew that she couldn’t. At least not in this state.

So finally, she relented.

“I… need you…” Yang said quietly. “Give me your strength… please…”

‘ ** _That took you long enough… now…_** ’ The dragon chuckled out before demanding one thing from the Blonde Brawler. ‘ ** _GIVE ME BLOOD!_** ’

“Huh? What!?” Yang exclaimed as she stood up.

‘ ** _It’s in the name, isn’t it?_** ’ The dragon said. ‘ ** _I want blood. Any blood. It’s my food and I’ve been starving for 17 years. Give me, NOW!_** ’

“Wha-There’s nothing I can…” Yang started as tried to figure out an alternative… before glancing at her other arm. “…Any blood?” She whispered out as a rush of fear went down her spine.

She didn’t know how much blood Bloodlust needed to work, and the only source of blood in room was her own body. If she did this, she could possibly kill herself from blood loss.

Then she thought about the amount of blood Ruby would spill at the engagement party.

“For Ruby.” Yang muttered out before biting her arm, chewing it until she tastes copper. She spat out the blood went into her mouth and placed her armoured hand on the wound. “Hurry up and eat already…”

‘ ** _Yes… YES!_** ’ The dragon cheered out as Yang collapsed to the ground, feeling her blood being absorbed into her Sacred Gear. Yang saw her skin growing paler by the second, but also saw something in the purple gem of her gauntlet as she felt stronger.

**x1x2x3**

Yang felt like she should panic and stop her Sacred Gear before it drained her body dry of blood… but, she didn’t. This strength… this power… it felt good…

“M-More…” Yang said as her Sacred Gear drained her more and more as black spots started to appear at the edge of her vision. She was going to blackout at this rate. “More…!”

Then, just as she was about to fall unconscious, she felt _something_ inside her change.

She could feel her body going into overdrive as she started to regenerate lost blood as her Sacred Gear ate more. She was regaining more blood than her Sacred Gear was able to consume!

...At least, that’s what she thought as her brain was starting to receive less and less oxygen.

**x1x2x3x4x5x6x7x8x9**

“Yes…! Keep going…! MORE…!” Yang growled out, not noticing her Sacred Gear was transforming the skin of her arm into golden scales as it started to spread all over her body. Her eyes had turned blood run as her pupils narrowed into slits and her teeth grew sharper.

‘ ** _Yes… Keep going… More…_** ’ The dragon said, almost orgasmic as Bloodlust absorbed at a faster rate. ‘ ** _Yes… Yes…!_** ’

“ _RARGH_!” Yang cried out, half her face covered in golden scales as dragon wings sprouted from her back.

**x1x2x3x4x5x6x7x8x9x10x11x12x13x14x15x16x17x18x19x20x21x22x23x24x25x26x27x28x29x30x31x32x33x34x35x36x37x38x39x40x41x42x43x44x45x46x47x48x49x50**

‘ ** _I’ll save you Ruby… I’ll_** **_kill everything in my way if I have to!_** ’ Yang thought as the last of her sanity started to fade away. ‘ ** _No one will survive! THIS WILL BE MY RETURN!_** ’

**1%**

Then, Yang _roared_.

(Assembly Hall)

Saying that she was completely miserable to the point where she wanted an abyss to swallow her whole right now and never be seen again would be an understatement.

Rias could let out something that vaguely sounded like a sigh as Akeno fixed up her make-up in the bathroom. Apparently it was completely inappropriate to cry before reaching the place where your engagement party and someone’s suicide would be held, let alone taking a step outside before collapsing into a fetal position.

It took a while for them to get there.

“Rias-buchou, at least try and not ruin your makeup.” Akeno recommended. “You’ll have plenty of opportunities to do it very soon.”

“You’re one to talk. You broke down at the sight of a rose.” Rias deadpanned.

“I recall everyone struggling not to cry at the sight.” Akeno pointed out as tears flowed down her cheeks, ruining her own make-up while she put down the makeup kit.

“…How did it come to this?” Rias asked as she held out her arms on a sink and looked at the mirror. “Everything just went so wrong so fast…”

“I think you know the answer.” Akeno replied as she patted her best friend’s back.

“Don’t give me that speech again.” Rias growled. “I know I messed up horribly. All I can do now is beg for forgiveness while I walk down the aisle.”

“…You know I don’t believe you.” Her Queen stated as she crossed her arms, causing Rias to chuckle flatly.

“Am I really that easy to read?” Rias asked.

“Only to me.” Akeno replied. “Whatever you’re doing to fix this… Just remember we’re here to back you up. Don’t forget that.”

“If I told you what I’m planning, you probably wouldn’t.” Rias half-joked, half-seriously said as she sighed again. “…If this doesn’t happen… if I fail… take care of yourself. I’m not dragging you guys with me.”

“Rias, we’ll never leave your side even in your darkest hours.” Akeno said. “Come on and get out there. You have an audience waiting. I’ll meet you outside soon, I… I need to fix my make-up again.”

Rias gave her Queen a smile before walking to the door of the bathroom, taking a deep breath then opening the door.

Instantly, the good mood Rias tried to be in was ruined as soon as she stepped outside.

It was only an hour but Rias had deal dozens of other Devils congratulating her for her marriage, be near Raiser, eat food that she hated, be near Raiser, be actively avoided being given alcohol of any kind, be near Raiser, hearing that Ruby’s new nickname was the Bastard King, have Raiser’s harem go into great detail how she should please her future husband, be near Raiser, be near Raiser and the worst of it all…

Interacting with Raiser without trying to murder him with her eyes.

She really wished she could shoot herself right now.

“Buchou.” Koneko spoke up as she tugged on Rias’ arm. “It’s time for Ruby Rose to fulfill her side of the bet.”

“…Okay.” Rias said as she took a deep breath as she followed Koneko, spotting Ruby already there, kneeling down with Crescent Rose in her hands. Their eyes met for a second before they both looked away.

‘You can do this… You can do this…’ Rias thought as they entered the hall where she knew where her marriage would begin and her life would end. ‘Just keep calm and everything will work out fine… You can do this…’

‘You can do this… You can do this…’ Ruby thought as everyone arrived into the main area and took their seats, feeling sweat running down her face. ‘Just keep calm and everything will work out fine… You can do this…’

“Ruby Rose, do you know why you are here?” Raiser asked as he walked up to the Human King.

“Because I laid down my life on the line in hopes of preventing the marriage of the Gremory and Phoenix Clan.” Ruby replied as she glared at the Phoenix. “And in the end, I failed.”

“That’s right.” Raiser said in a smug tone. “You went ahead and meddle in affairs that do not concern and now you’re here, waiting to die.”

“What can I say? I always keep my promises.” Ruby said as she glanced at Rias.

“You know, it’s such a shame a King Piece was wasted on such a promising peerage.” Raiser said with a sigh. “Do not worry about your friends though. I will happily prevent them from being Strays and allow them to serve under more… deserving Kings.”

“We’ll see about that…” Ruby muttered under her breath.

“So, are you ready?” Raiser asked.

“As I’ll ever be.” Ruby replied as she unfolded her scythe and placed the blade against her neck, ignoring a cry of ‘WHAT!?’ coming from Raiser’s sister. She took a quick glance at the window and saw that Pancakes was just outside waiting for the signal, before turning her gaze to everyone in the audience.

Akeno looked tense as she gave Rias weird looks.

Kiba was in his seat shaking, barely restraining himself from doing something reckless.

Koneko… well, Ruby couldn’t read Koneko, no one could, but she was sure she was sad and worried.

And Rias herself just stared on blankly.

“Well, the stage is set. What are you waiting for?” Raiser said as he gave her a smile that made her want to punch him in the face.

Oh wait… That was going to happen soon.

“Here we go.” Ruby whispered out as the blade got closer to her neck. She needed to stall for time until  Issei gets to the Assembly Hall, even if it means fighting Raiser by herself. From there, they can fight the Phoenix together at full power and stop this whole thing once and for all.

She closed her eyes and counted down.

“Three…” Akeno just looked at Rias with an even more worried expression on her face as her King stared on.

“Two…” Kiba and Koneko only looked at each other before going back to watching Ruby and Rias. They had a feeling that they were going to do something.

“One…” Ruby gripped onto her scythe, ready to fight.

_Click_

“Zero.” Rias finished, Devil Trigger placed against her head, causing Ruby to freeze on the spot. “Stop this now or I pull the trigger.”

“Rias!?” Akeno exclaimed as she, Koneko and Kiba got up only for their King to glare at her.

“If anyone moves, I’ll also pull the trigger.” Rias threatened before turning to the stunned Phoenix. “Now, you let Ruby go and dissolve this engagement this instant.”

“Rias… don’t…” Ruby whispered out as her fellow King looked at her with a smile.

“Ruby… I’m so sorry it had to come to this… and for everything I’ve done. You can stop fighting for my sake.” Rias said as she glared at Raiser. “Now I fight for yours. Stop this Raiser, or I end my life right here.”

“Rias-chan… please think this through before you do anything hasty…” Raiser growled. “Is it worth your own life for someone less than you?”

“I’m the one less than her.” Rias retorted. “So stop this nonsense and allow us to walk away.”

Raiser only looked at the two Kings before chuckling at them.

“…You’re bluffing.” Raiser guessed. “I know you cherish your family and friends, so I doubt you would-“

**_BOOM!_ **

“Rias… don’t…” Ruby whispered out, staring into Rias’ eyes and feeling her breath on her face.

Ruby had her hand wrapped around Rias’, aiming the freshly fired gun to the ceiling which had a bullet hole in it now. The Reaper moved so fast that it was like she teleported.

“Ruby…” Rias let out quietly.

“…I guess… we should’ve talked, huh?” Ruby tried to lighten the mood. “Prez… I don’t… I can’t blame you… no matter how hard I try I can’t blame you for everything… I can’t forgive you but I can’t just hate you… I don’t have it in my heart to.”

“After all I’ve done… you still trust me…?” Rias got out as tears ran down her face. “Why…? You shouldn’t. I let you… I let you and Issei…”

“Well, without you… doing what you did… I wouldn’t be able to be your friend.” Ruby answered kindly. “Along with Akeno, Kiba, Koneko and Issei… I just can’t bring myself to hate you after letting me see a whole other world that I would’ve left not thinking a second thought about if everything went smoothly. Sure, there was pain… but it made me stronger… allowed me to get closer to the ones I love… and…” Ruby then looked down as she sniffled a little. “And… now that I realize it… you gave me hope I’d one day see someone I lost…”

“Ruby…” Rias sobbed out before hugging her fellow King. “…You realize I wasn’t actually gonna shoot myself. Can’t get hurt with my own powers.” She whispered into her ear.

“…We really should’ve talked to each other before this thing, huh?” Ruby muttered out sheepishly.

“Communication skills are important.” Rias giggled out quietly. “But now… what do we do now?”

“Just follow my lead.” Ruby said as they separated. “Alright, Raiser, end this now!” She shouted out.

“Yes… You’ve seen what I have succumbed to in order to stop this marriage and what we laid on the line in pursuit of keeping our happiness!” Rias declared as she aimed her gun at the Phoenix as she pulled out her dagger, _Dragon’s Breath_. “This has gone far enough! Stop this so we can end this madness once and for all!”

“No! This is nothing more than a ploy!” Raiser called out. “You’ve planned this from the start! I cannot allow anything else interrupting our destined union!”

“Hey, did you forget!? I decide my own fate!” Rias said. “No sibling, no parent. No man, no woman. I’ll keep fighting until my last breath if it means stopping you!”

“Even if our bodies break, our spirits will keep them moving!” Ruby added in. “No matter how much blood we spill, we’ll keep attacking with all our might! Face it, Raiser! No matter how much you try, you’ll never break us down! This is our resolve! Our goal we’ll never stop striving towards!”

‘Oh wow, this is so cliché…’ Ruby thought as she and Rias kept rambling about never giving up and stuff they saw from movies. ‘Issei… hurry up! I’m running out of quotes! Aw fuck it.’

Ruby saw that Raiser was realizing that they were stalling for time and promptly dashed at him and swung her scythe, barely cutting his suit as he dodged. Rias was stunned at Ruby’s sudden attack before firing at the Phoenix, hitting him in the shoulder as Ruby kept pressuring Raiser backwards before ducking down…

Just in time for Issei to launch off her back and punch Raiser square in the face.

“Issei!” Ruby cheered out as the three of them jumped away from the Phoenix King, the crowd going wild at the sudden violent turn of the engagement party.

“Am I late?” Issei asked as he gave them a cocky smile before stumbling back as Rias hugged him. “Whoa!”

“You’re here…” Rias whispered out.

“What, you’d think I’d give up that easily?” Issei said before they turned their attention to Raiser, who was recovering from the blow. “Besides, I have unfinished business with the bastard.”

“We all have.” Ruby said as Issei stepped forward.

"To all the High-Class Devils here! And Buchou's brother, Maou-sama! My name is Issei Hyoudou from Kuoh Academy! I have arrived to take back Buchou, Rias Gremory-sama!” Issei declared as Raiser slowly got up.

“Another one…” He growled.

“Hey! You’re not allowed he-“ A guard tried to get Issei, only for Kiba and Koneko to kick him down.

“Good to see you, Issei-kun!” Kiba called out as he summoned swords into his hands. “Leave this to us!”

“…You are late.” Koneko said as she cracked her knuckles.

“Better late than never right?” Issei mumbled out as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Oh, we are _so_ talking about that stunt after this!” Akeno shouted out as the rest of Rias’ peerage started fighting off guards and Raiser’s peerage. Seeing them fight and remembering Pancakes was still outside waiting, Ruby quickly signaled the Fallen Angel who promptly burst through the window.

“Pancakes! Back ‘em up!” Ruby ordered.

“Your wish is my command Mistress.” Pancakes said as she summoned her light spears and started helping out the others.

“Thank you, everyone!” Issei called out before giving Raiser a fearless smile. “Sorry, bastard, but Rias Gremory-sama’s virginity belongs to me! I won’t let anyone else touch her until I see her o-face! Her life isn’t your plaything!”

“Yea-Wait, excuse me?” Ruby said as she and Rias stared at the pervert, their audience going wild at the mere words coming out of the Pawn’s mouth. Ruby’s eye twitched at his shamelessness while Rias felt… strangely touched by the declaration. “A-A- _O_ - _face_?”

“Oh, and Ruby’s too!” Issei called out… before realizing what the possible context of that statement, causing the Reaper to choke in shock.

“I think you forgot the word ‘life’ in there.” Rias deadpanned.

“Huh?” Issei said in confusion only to duck under a swing of Crescent Rose. “Oh, really!? Shit, I mean her life! I’m saving her life! Oh, thank Maou-sama your sister isn’t here!”

“You called?” A voice right beside them said. Issei and Ruby turned to see a with crimson-red hair man walking up to them from behind. Issei’s eyes narrowed while Ruby looked on in confusion. Meanwhile, Rias just chuckled nervously.

“Onii-sama… right… you’re here too…” Rias said as the man approached them.

“What!? O-O-Onii-samaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?” Issei exclaimed, realizing it really was the one of the Four Maou.

“You’re the… You’re the King of Devils…” Ruby whispered out in disbelief. “Hold on! Couldn’t you have…”

“Stop Rias from the whole suicide gambit? Yes.” Sirzechs answered. “I’m very disappointed in you, Rias, but given your circumstances I can’t say I blame you.”

“That… actually hurts more, Onii-sama.” Rias admitted with a wince.

“That’s why I set up this entire thing. Though, not everything went as I expected…” Sirzechs said.

“Wait, so you _don’t_ want Rias to get married?” Ruby questioned.

“While the Gremory lineage is important, I don’t believe it should be continued this way.” The Maou replied. “Plus, I wanted to see the full power of the Dragon and the Reaper so I had Grayfia make sure this happened.”

“S-Sirzechs-sama!? You can't do something irresponsible like this!" Someone from the crowd called out, none of them knowing if he was the relative of the Phoenix or Gremory Family.

“It should be fine.” Sirzechs said off-handedly. "The Rating Game from last time was very entertaining. But it was a bit disadvantage for my little sister and the Human King who both had no game experience and had to face off against Raiser-kun as their first ever opponent, who is a prodigy from the House of Phoenix. Sorry, but the Game was rigged from the start."

“…You really think that it was unfair?” Issei had to ask.

“No. Not at all. If a Maou such as myself says such thing, then I would be making the old nobles look bad.” Sirzechs said with a smile. “The connection between the High-Class Devils is important after all."

“So you kept quiet, even though you knew we would lose and what would happen because you wanted to keep the High-Class Devils happy.” Ruby clarified in exasperation.

“Look, it’s complicated but just please understand that there’s only so much even the most powerful can do.” Sirzechs sighed out. “My title being compared to an office job isn’t that far off…”

"Then, Sirzechs. What do you want to do about it?" A middle-aged man, also with red hair, spoke up.

“I’m guessing that’s your father.” Ruby whispered into Rias’ ear, who only nodded in response.

"Father. I want to make my cute little sister's engagement party into a flashy one.” The Maou requested. “Dragon versus Phoenix. Don't you think it's the ultimate event? To stir up the party by having a battle between legendaries creatures. There’s no type of entertainment which can surpass this."

“I’ll only fight if Ruby gets to fight with me.” Issei stated.

“Issei… I think I’ve had enough of fighting for a while…” Ruby admitted. “You can do this without me, right? Dragon versus Phoenix.”

“Yeah, I could, but what would the fun be in that?” Issei said. “This isn’t just about Buchou. It’s about you too. Besides, you haven’t really gotten a shot at Raiser, so now’s your chance.” He then held out his hand. “Let’s do this together this time.”

Ruby just stared at her friend’s hand before chuckling and grabbing it. “RxD?”

“RxD.” Issei replied with a devious smile.

“I expected no less.” Sirzechs said with a smirk, causing Issei and Ruby to grin. "Dragon user-kun. You have our permission. Raiser, can you show your power once more right in front of Rias and I?"

“Of course.” Raiser said as he growled at the two. He was going to enjoy this. "There is no way I can decline if Sirzechs-sama asks me. This Phoenix will fly once more before getting married!"

“Well, get ready to get your wings clipped!” Issei called out.

 “So, Dragon-kun and Reaper-chan, what prize do you want when you win the match?" Sirzechs asked, stunning and causing outrage in all who heard. "What? They are Devils, so we need to give them something fitting for it since we are asking him to do something for us. I can give you anything. Addition peerage members? Your own peerage? Or the most beautiful man and/or woman in the Underworld? Nothing is out of my reach."

“Wh-Wh-What? Anything!?” Ruby and Issei exclaimed.

“Really…?” Ruby said in disbelief as she started thinking while the pervert already knew what he wanted.

“Just give back my King! I just want Buchou to be free to do whatever she wants with no one to stop her unless it’s really bad!” Issei stated.

“Like letting us die to turn us into Devils?” Ruby pointed out.

“Like letting us die to-wait, what?” Issei said as Rias looked rather guilty. The Pawn thought about what the Red Reaper King said… before shrugging his shoulders. “…Meh. Yeah, that.”

“Wait, what?” Rias got out in confusion. “You’re… You’re not mad. Why aren’t you mad?”

“Uh, considering I’m completely fucking awesome thanks to you, along with you letting my Harem King dream become real and letting me make friends that don’t hate my guts when I interact with someone of the opposite sex, I consider that a pretty good trade-off.” Issei replied.

“…She let you die.” Ruby said flatly.

“Yeah, but boobs Ruby!” Issei insisted as he groped the air, which only caused Ruby to sigh and facepalm.

“…Oh.” Rias deadpanned. “Well… I guess that explains your mind-set.”

“Killed but boobs? It’s called _slavery but jetpacks_ everywhere else…” Ruby quietly snarked.

“Very well. If you win, you may take Rias with you. And what about you, Reaper?” Sirzechs asked, reminding her that she still had to decide her wish. After thinking about it, she whispered it into his ear. When she pulled away, he nodded. “Consider it done.” He said as he got out a phone and started texting his wife.

“Thank you.” The two said in unison.

“Issei, Ruby.” Rias spoke up as she gave them worried looks. “Be careful. No matter what happens...”

“Rias, President, just shut the fuck up and enjoy the show.” Ruby interrupted as she gave her fellow King a smile. Rias was shocked by her language before smiling at the Reaper.

Issei and Ruby gave each other a look before nodding and started making their way to the end of the hall, ready to fight for their lives once more.

(RWBY Apartment)

Grayfia wasn’t expecting much when she came to the RWBY apartment. She was told to get Asia and Ruby’s peerage by her King for some reason. She wasn’t told why, just to retrieve them as soon as she could for some sort of special event. Just in case, she got the former nun to bring her shield with her.

Easy enough, she thought. Once she got Asia it was off to the RWBY’s apartment to undo the lockdown and get them out.

That went out the window as soon as she saw that there was a giant hole in the side of the building.

“Wh-What happened here…?” Asia got out after getting over her shock. Grayfia only frowned as she got out her wings and flew up to the hole to investigate. She made sure to make sure the place was inescapable, the walls were unbreakable and all sorts of security measures. But just at first glance, she knew it did nothing to stop the destruction in the slightest. Asia, worried for her friends, wanted to see what had happened as well, but couldn’t fly like the Strongest Queen, so she had to take the stairs.

Meanwhile, it was just as Grayfia feared. The source of the damage had come from the RWBY apartment. The entire place was just a mess; the only thing left recognizable was their bedroom. She saw a little corgi trying to dig at a certain pile of rubble, making her realize that that one of Ruby’s Pieces must be buried underneath it.

It wasn’t too hard to dig her way through the pile, spotting a hand sticking out in mere seconds. With a mighty pull she got out one of the Bishops, Weiss, out of there. She quickly checked for major injuries and to see if she was even alive.

“U-Ugh…” Weiss managed to groan out as her eyes slowly opened, Zwei licking her face clean. “Wh-What…?”

“Stay still. We don’t know the extent of your injuries yet so don’t move.” Grayfia informed as she did a full body check. Nothing so far indicated that the girl was terribly hurt…

“I… I… I think I’m fine.” Weiss said as she sat up and looked around. “The others… where are they…?”

“I’m going to find them right now.” Grayfia answered as she picked up the corgi. “Do you think you can help me find the other girls?” The dog nodded happily. “Thank you. Go get them. I need to investigate a little.”

As she put the dog down, she turned her attention to the door, which was still intact. She walked up to it and pushed on it to check the barrier. When it appeared, it looked like it was almost undone.

Someone was trying to break in…

She had to investigate this further later. She needed to make sure that Ruby’s peerage hadn’t been killed.

Meanwhile, Asia finally made it to the floor the apartment was, panting heavily as she had rushed up there as fast as her legs could take her. When she recovered enough energy to look up, she was a woman with black hair lying in the middle of the hallway unconscious and surrounded by books,  a shattered mask on her side.

“Oh no…” Asia gasped as she quickly went up to the woman and started using her Sacred Gear on her forehead, trying to revive her. She glanced at the books the woman had and saw some peculiar titles. “ _Mage’s Guide to Barriers and Wards_? _History of Dragons_? _Remnants of Peace: Volume 4_?”

“Asia-sama, I see you’ve made it up here.” Grayfia said as she opened the door, spotting the girl already at work. “I require your help. I have managed to retrieve most of Ruby-sama’s peerage from the destruction, but some of them had sustained rather serious injuries that I cannot treat right now.”

“Most? You mean there’s…!?” Asia exclaimed as she stopped trying to wake up the woman. “Don’t tell me…”

“No, they are all alive but…” Grayfia quickly answered as she frowned. “One of them is missing. Yang Xiao Long-sama.”

“Yang-san? Oh no…” Asia muttered out before glancing at the unconscious woman. For some reason, she looked rather familiar… yet different, for some reason. Though, now that she looked closer… “Excuse me, but have you found Pan-san too?”

“She is with Ruby-sama right now. I will take care of the woman. The other girls need your help now.” Grayfia said in a serious tone. Asia just nodded and went in and started healing as fast and as best as she could. The maid crouched down and looked at the woman and the objects that surrounded her unconscious body.

Without a doubt, she was the one trying to break in.

But _why_ was she trying to break in? From the looks of it, she had been attempting to break the barrier for a while. It was because of what destroyed the apartment that she stopped as she was knocked out. And she was close, which meant she had very detailed knowledge of such things, maybe more considering it was one of her more advanced barriers.

“Just who is this woman exactly?” Grayfia muttered to herself.

“I’ll tell you if you _get off me_.” Raven growled at the maid, who happened to unconsciously straddle herself on her.

“My apologies.” Grayfia quickly said as she got off the woman. “Are you okay to stand?”

“As if a minor explosion can kill m-“ Raven mumbled out, only to interrupt herself as she looked past Grayfia and at the destruction. “No. No no no no! Shit!” She exclaimed as she rushed past the maid and looked to the sky. “This is bad. This is really, really bad…”

“Huh?” Blake groaned out after Asia finished healing her, with everyone getting up to see the woman. “Who are you?”

“Doesn’t matter right now because we might be all fucked right now.” Raven said in a slightly panicked tone as Penny tilted her head while she did a quick scan of the woman.

“Wait a minute… that voice…” Weiss muttered out before gasping. “You’re the one who stopped Yang back at the church!” She realized.

“Took you long enough…” Raven said quietly. “I’ve been living across the hall ever since you came from Remnant.”

“What!?” Weiss shouted out in disbelief. “Who are you!?”

“Someone who made a very grave mistake so shut up and let me fix it.” Raven growled as she started rushing for the exit, only for Blake to get in her way, weapons in hand. “Stand aside!”

“Not until you tell us what the hell is going on!” Blake called out.

“Guys… she has a 95.6% facial match with Yang.” Penny spoke up. “It’s possible that… she could be Yang’s biological mother.”

“Huh!?” Asia exclaimed. “You’re… You’re Yang-san’s mother!?”

“Yeah… now that I look at her… she looks like if Yang dyed her hair black…” Blake muttered out.

“Argh! Fine! Yes! I’m her mother! Now get out of my way!” Raven called out frustration as she pulled out her ōdachi, only for the Strongest Queen to grab her hand before she did. “Oh come on!”

“You obviously know more than us about what has happened here, so unless you wish to lose this arm, I suggest you start explaining.” Grayfia stated in her normal stern tone.

“We don’t have the time.” Raven growled out before giving up. “Fine.” She sighed out as Grayfia let go of her. “Look, I was trying to break in here to stop Yang from going berserk after the Rating Game.”

“Wait, how did you know about the Rating Game?” Blake asked before stopping herself as there was a much more important question. “Huh? Yang going berserk?”

“Where is Yang…?” Penny wondered out loud.

“That’s why I’m here and this happened. I was too late.” Raven stated.

“She… She caused all this…?” Weiss whispered out as she looked at the ruins that was their apartment and several other floors. “How did she find out?”

“I guessed she worked it out by herself.” Blake guessed. “But… Yang would never destroy this much… let alone get us, her friends, hurt in the process.”

“Well, she’s not Yang now.” Raven stated, confusing everyone there. “There, all caught up. Now please, let me go and make this right. For all we know, she could… be…” Raven slowly trailed off as horror dawned on her face. “We need to move. Now.”

“Wait, slow down! What’s happening!?” Weiss demanded, getting annoyed by the woman’s vagueness. Raven just sighed and turned her head to Grayfia.

“Hey, you’re Grayfia Lucifuge, aren’t you?” Raven said, the maid nodding in response. “Go to the Underworld and tell everyone there to evacuate now. Everyone there is in grave danger so unless you like to be extinct, I suggest you get going now.”

Noting the serious expression on the woman’s face, she just nodded and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

“Wait, evacuate the entire Underworld?” Weiss repeated in disbelief.

“Wah! Ruby-san… Rias-buchou… Issei-san… They are all in the Underworld!” Asia called out.

“You really think Yang can destroy the entire Underworld?” Blake asked, looking skeptical.

“No. But her dragon _can_.” Raven said as she looked at the sky, noticing the faint shimmer in the air. “And we’re running out of time. Get your gear. We need to find Yang before she gets to your friends. If we can’t… well, you better be ready.”

“Why? And how? You’ve barely made sense since you got here.” Weiss stated as Raven picked up a palm-sized rock before throwing into the air.

The very next second, it vanished leaving behind a small ripple effect in the air like water.

“To answer your question… she caused _that_.” Raven stated as everyone from Remnant started to piece it together.

“Th-That’s not a Semblance, is it.” Blake muttered out.

“Yep.” Raven replied.

“Do… Do you mean…” Penny whispered out.

“Yes. And it’s going to get a lot worse soon.” Raven said in a grim tone as everyone stared up into the sky with one thought coming to mind.

The next few hours were not going to be easy.

(Assembly Hall)

The main area was cleared out to create a proper battlefield to allow the combatants to fight at their fullest. Already, the three were ready to give it their all as the stood on opposite sides of the room. Everyone else was on the sidelines, watching them as they got prepared, with people cheering for both sides.

“You can do this!” Akeno called out.

“Give it all you have you two! We believe in you!” Kiba encouraged.

“…Don’t screw up.” Koneko said flatly as she waved a small flag.

“Please… win…” Rias whispered out. Sirzechs just put a hand on her shoulder, calming her down just a little.

“So, what’s the plan?” Issei asked as he did some stretches.

“Not sure, really.” Ruby admitted as she did maintenance on her two scythes as Pancakes massaged her shoulders. “I don’t know if any tactics I can make up will be able to work on him. So there’s only one thing we can do.”

“What is it?” Issei said as they finished their preparations, with Ruby sending Pancakes to the sidelines.

“Fight like Hell.” Ruby replied with a smirk, who only got a smirk back as she put away Death Rose while Issei summoned his Boosted Gear.

“Well… I may have a few things up my sleeves that might help us. Let’s do this, Ruby.” Issei said as they went into battle stances.

“Okay! May I have your attention please! This is a match between Ruby Rose and Issei Hyoudou versus Raiser Phoenix!” A male Devil who offered to referee the fight called out, silencing the crowd. “Anything goes and this place had been built to withstand most attacks so don’t be afraid to go all out. Is everyone ready?”

“Yes.” The three said in unison.

“Good, now! Begin!” The ref shouted out before jumping out of the way to be safe from the ensuing chaos that was about to be unleashed. Yet, they all just stood there glaring at each other daring their opponent to make the first move.

“Why bother with another fight?” Raiser asked in a taunting tone, his fiery wings making a few people sweat. “You know I outmatch you two in every way. I’ve already cracked what you are able to do. The Pawn has a Sacred Gear that will keep doubling the user’s power every ten seconds and the Human King merely has a speed boost and a useless mental attack. Though it seems the Pawn has also unlocked a new power, to transfer their multiplied power into objects and allies. Not that it will help you in any way.”

“Damn it, he knows about Booster Gear Gift.” Issei mumbled under his breath.

“Argh…! What is with you and looking down on everyone!?” Ruby shouted out. “And that’s just our skills alone! Together we can rival gods!”

“Oh, don’t give me that _Power of Friendship_ and the _Power of Believing in Myself_ bullshit.” Raiser scoffed. “Sorry, but that only works in children’s stories.”

“Yeah, but those guys don’t have bullets and demonic powers.” Issei pointed out before looking at Rias and smiling. “Buchou, set a timer! We’ll finish this in ten seconds, guaranteed!”

“What!?” Rias and Ruby exclaimed, both of them looking doubtful.

“Ten seconds or your money back! We’re doing this live after all!” Issei cockily said, acting like this fight was some sort pay-per-view fight.

“Uh… You’re kinda getting show-boaty…” Ruby spoke up.

"You sure talk big for saying that you will finish it in 10 seconds.” Raiser said as he smirked. “Then I will finish you two off in two seconds. It won't be like last time, Rias’ Pawn and Apprentice!"

“It’s Issei and Ruby to you.” Ruby growled. “And you’ll be saying our names right once this is over.”

“If you can even speak afterwards!” Issei added in. “Buchou! Allow me to use Promotion here!”

Rias didn’t hesitate and nodded at his request.

“Alright! Promotion! _QUEEN_!” Issei shouted out as he felt the power of the ultimate Evil Piece flow through his body, his Devil energy flaring around him. “Oh yeah! That’s the stuff! I may not be a swordsman like Blake, Kiba and Weiss! I may not be smart like Akeno! I may not be as crazy strong as Koneko and Yang, nor will I have special abilities like Asia, Penny and R-R- _Pancakes_! Even if I can’t master anything, I’ll still become the best Issei Hyoudou I can be! I promise Buchou… I promise _everyone…_ I will become the Ultimate Pawn!” He declared.

“You keep looking down on everyone! You never seem to realize there’s always someone stronger than you!” Ruby yelled out at the Phoenix, her Devil energy also flaring. “We will never falter, we will never rest, and we will never let people like you destroy someone’s life because it’s what you want! You’re selfish! You’re arrogant! And most of all you’re going to lose! I may not have earned my King Piece, but at least I’ve been trying ever since! And until then I’ll help people, sacrifice my life for everyone I care about if have to!”

“Hmph. Rehearse that?” Raiser taunted.

“Nope! We’re just stubborn as shit!” Issei answered. “With our weapons, we’ll do the impossible! Boosted Gear! _Welsh-Dragon Over Booster_! **_BALANCE BREAKER!_** ”

Suddenly, the gem on the Boosted Gear turned from green to red as it glowed intensely, shining brighter and brighter, blinding everyone in the room. When it started to fade, many gasped at the sight of Issei’s new appearance.

Issei opened his eyes and smirked, feeling even more powerful than ever. His body was clad in red armour with green jewels which looked very much like a dragon. The only part of his body that wasn’t covered in metal was his head, allowing him to clearly see Raiser’s shocked face.

"Armour!? You turned the power of Sekiryuutei into a physical form!?" Raiser exclaimed.

“Yep! This is the power of the Emperor of Dragons! _Scale Mail_!” Issei announced, a helmet forming around his head before finishing off the transformation with eyes of the helmet flashing green, as Ruby stared at the Pawn in awe.

“Wh-Whoa…” Ruby whispered out, a little overwhelmed by his power. This was the same pervert who proudly announced his peeping habits on her first day at Kuoh? “Issei…”

“Like the new look? Just got it a few minutes ago.” Issei said as he gave her a smile… though she couldn’t see it underneath his helmet.

“Issei… I don’t think I’ll help much here now…” Ruby said with an amused expression on her face.

“You said we’re doing together, right? Well…” Issei muttered out before grabbing the Human King’s left hand. “Ddraig! Now!”

[You better be grateful, human. Making use one of my ex’s commands.] A voice grumbled in her head, which confused Ruby greatly. [ _Share_.]

“Hu-Ack!” Ruby choked out as she started to feel… tingly between her legs. “Wh-What’s happen-Oh! OH!” She continued to moan out as more and more power flowed into her body… as a certain place started to get a little damp. “I-Issei…” Ruby growled out.

“I guess your body’s not used to such energy, huh?” Issei guessed incorrectly. “Just power through it!”

“Th-That’s n-n-n-not it, l-l-let me go-OH FUCK!” Ruby screamed out, her body glowing red as the Human King lost feeling to her legs and dropped her weapon while their audience just looked on in confusion… and slight arousal. Raiser was too stunned by the fact the lowly Pawn had a Balance Breaker already to really react to anything else. “N-No! No! Wait give me a sec-AAAHHH! WHY!?”

“…Idiot.” Koneko sighed out.

“Well, that’s… interesting…” Akeno chuckled out.

“…Issei-kun isn’t that smart, is he?” Kiba whispered into his King’s ear, who could only just… stare.

“I… I-Issei… um… y-you should… you should probably…” Rias weakly said. She honestly wanted to see where this was going.

“I’m… Oh butternut cookies and fudge, I-I’m gonna…!” Ruby gasped out between heavy breaths.

“Come on, Ruby! Unleash everything you have!” Issei continued to encourage the writhing girl, (still) completely unaware with what he’s doing to her. “Show everyone everything you’ve got!”

“I’M GONNA KILL YOU ISSEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!” Ruby cried out as her entire being was enveloped by light, once again blinding everyone. When it died down, Ruby slowly got up as she tried to recover from that… experience before noticing she had also gained a new look.

Over her usual battle outfit were on her arms two gauntlets that looked like Twice Critical except it was black and red with white gems, as well as boots that looked similar to them. On her torso was a red chest-plate with her black Scatter emblem on it along with bat wings, and on her head was a black crown decorated with rubies, diamonds, onyx and amber tilted slightly to the left yet was firmly on her head.

“ _Share_ allows me to give you half of my current power instead of all of the times I boosted, unlike Transfer.” Issei explained, his Scale Mail looking lighter than it had been previously. “Neat, huh? Only works on other people though.”

“…Let’s just do this.” Ruby deadpanned as she grabbed her scythe once more, her eyes flashing red. “Get ready Raiser!”

“The Red Dragon Emperor and the Red Reaper King!” Issei called out.

“Are gonna take you down!” Ruby and Issei shouted out in unison. “START!”

**[X]**


	21. A Simple True Power

(RWBY Apartment Ruins)

“Okay, first order of business.” Weiss said as everyone quickly dressed themselves and grabbed their equipment among the ruins of the apartment. “How do we get to the engagement party before Yang gets there?”

“I have a special ritual I can set up. It’s going to take a few minutes for the set-up but I can get everyone there.” Raven answered as she sharpened her sword. “But here’s the thing, a few minutes is too long. Hell, we’ve already wasted enough time cleaning ourselves up. We’re just going to have to go through the tear.”

“So let me get this straight… Yang is so powerful that she can create tears in space?” Blake questioned as she put bullets into her spare clips. “I’m sorry to say this but it’s hard to believe she can do such a thing. Yang doesn’t know magic after all and it’s certainly physically impossible. She had better magical potential than Issei though but that doesn’t-”

“It doesn’t have to make sense. It just _does._ ” Raven interrupted. “Nothing is really impossible for her anyway. That’s why you are here…” She quietly added.

“And we’re preparing to _fight her_.” Weiss stated. “That doesn’t bode well for our chances… And… I don’t want to fight Yang…”

“…Or maybe we don’t have to.” Asia realized as she cleaned up Zwei. “If Yang-san sees Ruby-san is fine, she might snap out of it.”

“But we don’t know where the engagement party is or where that tear leads to. For all we know it could land us straight into somewhere rather dangerous.” Penny pointed out.

“Don’t have to. Stick with me and we’ll be crashing the party in no time.” Raven said. “My Semblance doesn’t work between worlds so we better stick together.”

“What is your Semblance?” Weiss asked.

“You’ll find out when we get there. We’re leaving. Now.” Raven replied. With a nod, everyone stood up and walked over to the shimmer in air. Asia put down some dog food and told him to stay here, thinking that the Underworld would be too dangerous for the little corgi. She walked up to Blake, who silently nodded as she carried Asia. “Alright, is everyone ready? Because if you’re not, too bad.”

And with that, everyone jumped into the tear, hoping they were not too late.

Well…

“What…” Weiss got out as Blake lost her voice at the sight they were met with as soon as they all exited the tear.

“Oh my…” Asia said in horror and awe as they saw what Yang had become.

“That’s… That can’t be…” Penny said as she tried to analyze what was happening, but her brain was overloaded and she almost crashed.

“We’re too late.” Raven said regretfully. “I… I… Fuck…! No…!”

“We need to find Ruby. Now.” Weiss stated in a fearful tone. Raven could only nod and used her Semblance to create a portal to Ruby.

Because running there would only waste the precious seconds they had left.

(Assembly Hall)

**[X]**

With no warning, Issei shot out a mass of Devil energy at Raiser, catching him off guard. It was half as large as the man and it was coming at him at blinding speeds. His instincts kicked in and forced his body to move instead of taking it as usual.

However, he was too slow to see Ruby already hooking her scythe’s blade around his abdomen.

This power… Ruby didn’t know how but she was able to… _see faster_? Everything just slowed to a crawl for her. She had activated her Semblance to follow up Issei’s attack, but she went past it before she even realized what had happened. She even guessed she created a sonic boom as a result.

And this was only half of what Issei was using?

Whatever it is, she had to finish this fight fast. She didn’t know how long her body could take before it gave in.

Which meant they only had so much time to damage him faster than his body could heal him before their bodies gave out.

She had already wasted several milliseconds just thinking through and figuring out what to do. Now, it was time to act.

Running up the wall while bringing Raiser up with her, she threw him away before firing at him, riddling him with bullet holes as Issei used the built-in jetpack to jump up into the air, grab his leg, and slam him into the ground before firing off another powered-up Dragon Shot and then landing on his stomach, resulting in a large crater forming on the ground. Issei then jumped back as Raiser let a burst of flame erupt from his body.

**[IX]**

“Issei! Rose of Dragons!” Ruby shouted out. It was all the warning she could give as she dashed towards him.

“Dance of Bloody Roses!” Issei called out as he was grabbed by the Reaper. Ruby then gave Issei Crescent Rose while she grabbed onto the blade as the Pawn started to swing it wildly around, slicing and kicking Raiser just as he stood up. They didn’t let up in the slightest as Issei gave her scythe back and became red blurs of violence upon the Phoenix, receiving blow after blow that he could barely protect himself from as Ruby then mixed in waves of energy before grabbing both of them flinging them into a wall, creating deep craters.

They barely felt it as they peeled themselves off the wall. They just gave each other a look before charging at Raiser.

**[VIII]**

Ruby quickly swept Raiser off his legs with Crescent Rose while Issei grabbed his arm. Then, straight from a superhero movie he watched once, he repeatedly slammed him into the ground before throwing him over to Ruby, where she stabbed the blade of her scythe into his chest as she trapped his face under her feet. She then pulled up, almost cutting him in half.

“Does it hurt?” Ruby taunted as she stepped on his throat, attempting to crush it under her metal boots.

“Not in the slightest.” Raiser growled out. Ruby was barely able to react to the sudden uppercut he threw, causing her to go on the defensive as she guarded and moved out of the way of a flurry of attacks before being blown back by a sudden fireball to the chest. Issei quickly caught her before she slammed back into the wall before swinging her around and letting go, speeding towards Raiser like a bullet, following after her as soon as he let go.

Raiser was expecting a counter already, yet was still angry that these annoying brats weren’t giving up. Despite their power-up, it was still no match for the Phoenix. “Do you still fail to understand who I am!?” Raiser called out as he dodged Ruby and started blocking Issei’s assault. “I am immortal! I am a true Devil! I am the Phoenix! And in front of my bride, you little shits, you shall both _perish_!”

Before they could react, they were blasted back by a whirlwind of flames so intense that the audience had to create barriers to prevent themselves from being severely burned. Raiser howled as giant flame wings appeared on his back as he surround by intense flames as Ruby and Issei started to choke a little. The fire was draining the air around him, making it harder for everyone to breathe. It was very likely if they weren’t forced away that there wouldn’t be much left of them to bury.

“Fire birds, Fenghuang, they are nothing more than different names for Phoenix! This is the true hellfire my clan is known for! Taste it with your own body and **_burn for eternity_**!" Raiser roared as he rushed towards them, the flames in the shape of a giant, angry bird… going straight for Ruby.

Issei’s body moved before he realized it, moving in front of the Human King before she could even blink, catching both of Raiser’s fists in his hands. “You really think we’ll be burned by a shitty candle?” Issei taunted, mostly to ignore the fact he could feel his gauntlets cooking his hands inside of it and his legs barely letting him stand his ground. The Pawn didn’t let Raiser retort as he headbutted him before following it up with a quick one-two punch, ducking low as Raiser threw his own punches at him.

‘Remember, stay low. Lean back. C’mon, keep it as an eight. Mix it up to throw them off. Keep it going until…’ Issei thought as he stepped backwards, going back to his sessions with Yang, until his eyes widened as he saw the Phoenix expose his abdomen for a split second. ‘There!’

“You fucked up!” Issei shouted out as he took advantage of millisecond of vulnerably and punished him by delivering several kicks to his side until Raiser was stunned enough to receive several hooks and jabs to the face, with Issei finishing it off with a Superman punch, destroying Raiser’s flame armour and knocking him back into a stumble as Ruby ran in to continue the attack as Issei got out of the way.

**[VII]**

She quickly pulled out Death Rose and revert Crescent back into its Sniper Mode and started firing as she ran towards the Phoenix, shooting him repeatedly in the chest before turning her weapons back into scythes and spun around, becoming a tornado of blades as she sliced away until he caught Death Rose, stopping her spin as she went to use Crescent Rose to counter, only for it to be caught too. Thinking quickly, they both let go of the weapons and punched each other in the face.

“GAH!” Ruby screamed out in pain as she blown away, while Raiser remained unfazed.

“I have to admit, that hurt a little.” Raiser admitted as the small bruise on his cheek healed instantly. “But don’t you see. Even with that armour you are nothing compared to me! Trash is still trash even when they have a dragon on their side and a fancy farming tool! If you think you can beat me with only your strength alone, then face without the power of that gauntlet!”

Issei and Ruby only looked at each other before smirking and charging at Raiser.

Ruby picked up Crescent while Issei picked up Death as they engaged with the Phoenix in close combat, firing off shots and trying to get a few cuts in, however Raiser was easily managing to hold his own against the two.

However, he didn’t notice Issei and Ruby taking something out of their gauntlet and boot respectively.

Before he knew it, Raiser yelled out in pain as a cross was stabbed into each shoulder before pulled out and being whacked in the face by them, causing him to cough up large amounts of blood.

“C-Crosses!?” Raiser exclaimed in surprise. “How do you two have crosses!?”

**[VI]**

“Heh, the things you can do with an old broach…” Ruby said with a smirk despite the pain of holding the bloodied cross/dagger. “I had Pancakes make it a little bit more effective and then some, while also adding a little bit of Devil energy to let me wield it without hurting myself too much. Doesn’t do as much as a real cross but sure as hell pretty effective.” She explained as she put the dagger away.

“And mine’s from Asia!” Issei spoke up. “I just pumped it up by using my Sacred Gear to increase its power! Even if you are a Phoenix and High-Class, I’m guessing that you won’t be able to heal from holy attacks so easily.”

“But the Pawn’s cross is much more effective, meaning it’s purely holy.” Raiser grunted out. “How are you holding it!? You should be suffering, even with that dragon’s armour it’s incredibly reckless to just-“

“Issei… what the hell happened to your arm…?” Ruby interrupted as she got a closer look at Issei’s Scale Mail, realizing the left arm wasn’t made purely made out of metal.

Issei couldn’t help but let out a mad grin as everyone finally noticed that his arm had been taken over by the combination of red dragon scales and Boosted Gear. Boosted Gear was no longer just a weapon, it was part of him.

“Oh, did I forget to mention I let Ddraig transform my left arm into a dragon just for a power boost? That was probably important because my cross doesn’t affect me in the slightest as long as it’s in my left hand.” Issei said as he cracked his knuckles.

“You sacrificed your arm to a dragon!? You do realize that arm will never return to normal!” Raiser exclaimed.

“So? I can live with that.” Issei replied casually as he held Death Rose over his shoulder. “Buchou’s virginity is worth it after all. Your defeat’s just a bonus.”

**[V]**

“Issei, we need to finish this.” Ruby groaned out as she felt her body starting to give into the strain of such power as Raiser stepped back.

“Y-You’re insane. You’re both insane!” Raiser called out. “You’re so insane it’s actually scaring me!”

“Why? Because I’m still risking my life for someone who let my team and me die, or is it because this guy over here decided losing an arm is totally worth potentially having sex.” Ruby said. “You’re right, but here’s the thing: _We don’t care_.”

“Well then, if you’re not holding back, I won’t either!” Raiser shouted out as his flame wings grew bigger. “I’m going to destroy you with everything I have!” He declared as he flew at the two.

“We won’t lose!” Issei called out as the Pawn got ready to punch the bastard right out of the air.

Suddenly, Ruby’s eyes widened a little bit.

‘We can finish this.’ She thought in realization.

“Issei, Death Rose!” Ruby called out. Despite not knowing what she was about to do, Issei nodded and threw Death Rose back to her. She ran in front of Raiser and tried to stop his momentum with Crescent Rose while catching the other scy-ifle, barely holding him back as the ground cracked underneath. With a cry of effort, she stabbed Raiser in the throat with Crescent before shooting him in the stomach with Death then pushing him back. Then, she channeled everything into her legs and ran.

Ruby was screaming as she ran circles around the man, going fast enough for her to create a small whirlwind. But it wasn’t enough for what they were planning, she needed to be _faster._ With another cry, she drew upon her borrowed power and sped up as much as her body could handle. She was going so fast she was able to create a great tornado with a power of EF1. Raiser was wondering why the Human King was doing this until he realized something.

He couldn’t breathe.

**[IV]**

Meanwhile, Rias’ eyes widened as she realized what Ruby was doing as the Phoenix’s wings started to shrink. ‘Clever girl…’ Rias thought. ‘She’s depriving him of air, putting out his flames and getting around his healing factor. He can heal from almost anything, but he still needs to breathe.’

“ISSEI! FINISH IT!” Ruby shouted out as she kept running, trying to ignore the fact that she felt her body burning up in doing so.

“Alright!” Issei called out as he held out his cross. “Give it everything you’ve got, Boosted Gear!" He got out as he put everything he had into the cross. That was all he needed; one touch of Asia’s cross to Raiser’s body would defeat him.

**[III]**

“HAH!” Ruby cried out in pain. She wanted to stop but Raiser was holding his breath, meaning she had to keep running to keep the pressure on him.

Just… a few… more… seconds…

**[II]**

‘Ruby’s going way too fast! I might hit her if I’m not careful and I have surprise Raiser, or else he’ll counter it and it’ll all be over.’ Issei thought.

[You better move fast. You only have two seconds worth of power left in both of you.] Ddraig told the Pawn.

‘What th-It hasn’t been ten seconds yet!’ Issei exclaimed in his head.

[You had ten seconds _worth_ of power. Not ten seconds of absolute power.] Ddraig explained. [Every attack and move you do reduces that time, depending on what you’re doing. And at this rate, I’d say the girl has 20 milliseconds left and you…]

“RARGH!” Issei roared out, ignoring the dragon for a moment while managing to miss Ruby and burst through the tornado, cross at the ready to stab Raiser in the head. “CHECKMATE, ASSHOLE!”

And as soon as he yelled that, Ddraig got his attention with a few words.

[0]

[Yeah, you’re out of power.]

As soon as Issei heard that, his armour disappeared while he was in midair while Ruby tripped at the sudden loss of her metal boots and got herself splattered against a wall, the rest of her armour bursting into particles of light.

All Raiser had to do was take a little breath and grab Issei’s amalgamation of Boosted Gear and dragon scales and slam him into the ground before throwing him into Ruby, forcing them through the wall and out the other side, all while Raiser kicked away the cross into a far off corner to make sure it wasn’t used again.

Several gasps and cries of their names filled the room as Rias had to be held back by her peerage to stop her from entering the battlefield.

“It’s always the walls, isn’t it…” Ruby squeaked out in pain. She couldn’t feel her legs anymore, but she could certainly feel everything else.

“Why… Ddraig…” Issei groaned out.

[Don’t blame me. Your bodies aren’t trained and ready to handle such power. I’m surprised the girl could even handle it as long as she did.] Ddraig said. Because Ruby was touching Boosted Gear, she would hear him too in her head. She didn’t know why, but she was in too much pain to care.

“A-Aren’t we strong enough…?” Ruby moaned out as she saw Raiser approaching them.

[You aren’t. It takes dozens of years for Devils to reach the type of strength needed to properly wield me. And a lifetime to master it.] Ddraig replied.

“L-Let u-us use the armour again…” Issei breathed out. “I’ll… I’ll give you a leg. My other arm… Anything!” He begged.

[No. Using Scale Mail a second time without rest will kill you both instantly even if you were somehow able to use Share.] Ddraig stated. [If you must win, it must be under your own power.]

“Shit.” They both swore out as they were lifted up by their collars. Ruby quickly held onto Issei’s hand to keep in contact with the dragon.

‘Can we doing anything…?’ Ruby thought as Raiser grabbed her holy dagger and threw it away.

[Maybe. As soon as Issei here lost his armour, I transferred a bit of power into the jewel.] Ddraig said. [You can use it to overpower Raiser Phoenix for a few seconds but that’s it. And you can only take down a Phoenix-]

‘Is by overwhelming him physically or destroying him mentally.’ They finished off.

[Yeah. And sorry to say, neither of you have the ability to do either.] Ddraig continued.

‘My power’s too low for even Boosted Gear’s multiplier to help…’ Issei thought with a wince.

‘And my Power of Suffering is too weak to affect him.’ Ruby thought as she felt Raiser change from their collars to their necks, all while smirking evilly as they choked like he did.

"I praise you two for doing this well for a Pawn and a Low-Class King. You really did well. To be honest, I didn't expect both of you to do this well.” Raiser admitted. “The power of the Dragon user shared with another... I was able to taste that with my own body. If you had a year, no, six months for you two to get used to your Dragon's power I would have lost."

‘S-Six months…?’ Issei thought as he gripped Ruby’s hand, both of them seeing black spots edging into their vision. ‘Then wait for the marriage for another six months! Ten fucking days isn’t enough!’

"There's nothing you should feel ashamed about. I will train the Pawn after I become Rias' groom. You will become a strong Devil." Raiser said before turning to Ruby. “And I will personally take care of your peerage. I promised that before, didn’t I?”

“You… You bastard…!” Ruby wheezed out before instantly regretting it as she lost consciousness faster.

"Now, it's about time I put you two to sleep. You will lose consciousness for a short while. By the time you wake up, the ceremony would have finished safely.” Raiser explained kindly, but they knew he was reveling in his victory over them. “You don't want to suffer any more than this, right? I'm not a sadist, so I will end this right away."

As the grips on their necks tightened, Ruby’s life flashed before her eyes and everything that was important to her.

The day she lost her mother.

The day she first went to Signal.

The day she first made Crescent Rose.

The day she went and killed her first Grimm.

The day where Yang graduated.

The day she got into Beacon.

The day she became team leader.

The day Weiss opened up to everyone.

The day where Blake ran.

The day of the Breach.

The day where they first arrived on Earth.

The day she died.

The day she…

The day…

…

…

…

…

…

…

_Ruby…?_

_What are you doing here…?_

_It’s not your time…_

_You have so much to fight for… So many people that need your help…_

_Can hear them, Ruby? They’re calling your name. They need you to be there for them..._

_Isn’t it your dream to be a hero like in the stories you’ve read? Isn’t that you want?_

_Don’t cry, my little rose…_

_My end is your beginning…_

_I know… I wasn’t there for you… when you needed me most but just know…_

_You don’t need me anymore…_

_I’m so proud of what you’ve become without me… And I’m sure you’ll never cease to make me happy I was there for you… even if I wasn’t in your life for very long…_

_Ruby… please…_

_Ruby…!_

“RUBY!” Issei shouted out, snapping Ruby out of it just in time to see Raiser take a bottle of water to the face before placing his hand on his face. “TRANSFER!”

“Wha-AAAAAAHHHHH!” Raiser screamed out in pain while he dropped them to the ground, allowing them to take precious breaths of fresh air. Feeling the droplets land on her skin, she groaned in pain before realizing what Issei smashed into Raiser’s face.

“Holy water…?” Ruby whispered out as she wiped it away, seeing smoke coming off her skin.

“You alright?” Issei quickly asked in concern as he help her up. “I was afraid he was gonna snap your neck.”

“I-I just blacked out back there.” Ruby replied, barely able to remember what that voice was and what it said. Who was that? She shook her head, deciding that it was just a hallucination or something. “Is he going to be… fine?”

“Ddraig said he’ll be fine, why argue with a dragon?” Issei replied.

Ruby just shrugged as she watched the Phoenix writhe around on the ground. Feeling a rush of renewed energy, she knew it was their only chance to finish this. “We have to end this now! Ready for the Finale?”

Issei only silently nodded as they closed their eyes.

He and Ruby drew upon whatever power they had left, feeling it flare slightly around them. Their bodies were tired and sore, they were barely standing under their own power and they felt like they were going to collapse at any second.

But it was just enough.

“Wh-What are you doing!?” Raiser exclaimed as Ruby and Issei went into a crouch, with Ruby taking out Death Rose in its Rifle Form. “Do you have any idea what this could mean!? This engagement is important and necessary for the future of Devils! It's not something Devil brats like you can butt into!"

“Hey! Did you forget?” Issei asked rhetorically with a cocky smile. “I’m an idiot. I don’t understand, or care, about Devil politics. In actuality… I was going to give up but then I remembered something… right before I fell unconscious at the Rating Game.” He then growled as he grabbed onto Death Rose. “You’re the reason Buchou cried. She cried before, during and after the Rating Game. You _made! Her! Cry!_ So, ask me this…” He said in a serious tone. “Do you really think I need any other reason to beat the shit out of you?”

“B-But she betrayed you! She lied to you!” Raiser tried to stop his imminent defeat. He was a Phoenix. He couldn’t lose! He would never lose!

“She did… but… You’re reason she let us die.” Ruby stated as she loaded in the bullet. “So in all actuality… You’re the one who made us the people we are today. So I guess I should thank you, for making us realize something.”

“Wh-What!?” Raiser got out.

“Don’t _fuck_ with Rias Gremory.” Ruby and Issei said in unison, channeling everything they had into Death Rose. “RxD: Dangan Ronpa (Bullet Rebuttal)!”

**_BANG!_ **

It happened in only half a second. The demonically enhanced bullet made one bullet hole in Raiser’s body… before making 99 more by ricocheting off every wall and barrier in the area.

Raiser made a few choking sounds, coughing up large amounts of blood, before collapsing onto the ground with a thud.

The only indication that he was alive was the fact that there was no King Piece exiting his body.

“And… time!” Ruby called out as they stood up. “What did we get?”

“…10 seconds exactly.” Koneko answered in amazement.

“Heh. Told ya we’d finish this in ten.” Issei said as he flicked his nose with his thumb. “That’s what you call checkm-WHOA!”

Rias couldn’t help it. She jumped out from the crowd and tackled Issei and Ruby into the ground, hugging them both while she cried. “G-Guys…. I-I’m so… I’m so…” She tried to say something, but she was so _fucking happy_ that this entire thing was over. Issei just happily sighed at the feeling of her boobs against him while Ruby just patted her back.

“Don’t say anything. Just… save it for somewhere down the road.” Issei said with a soft smile. “Tomorrow is a new day after all.”

“T-T-Tomorrow…” Rias got out as it came to her that she and Ruby had a tomorrow now. “Y-Yeah. Tomorrow.”

“Oh… er… about tomorrow…” Ruby started, only to be interrupted by another voice.

“Fufufu… You two never cease to amaze me.” Akeno said as she and the others approached the physically and emotionally tired, yet utterly victorious Devils.

“You did amazing out there. You had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.” Kiba said as he helped Issei and Rias up while Pancakes helped Ruby back on her feet.

“…Impressive.” Koneko simply said while giving the Pawn and Human King a slight smile. Issei just laughed at the praise, not noticing Rias holding his sacrificed hand the entire time, smiling like she never smiled before.

Meanwhile, Ruby looked on and sighed in relief. It was finally over.

“Mistress.” Pancakes said, getting Ruby’s attention.

“Yeah, what is it?” Ruby replied, wondering why she was asking a question. She didn’t think Pancakes asked questions before, now that she thought it.

“I am… _cock-a-hoop_ … you are fine.” The Fallen Angel said in her usual dull voice, making Ruby gasp while looking at her in confusion. “Just… I wish for your safety at all times. Your life is more important than mine. If you are willing to risk your life… allow me to do it first should a situation similar to this occur again.”

“P-Pancakes…” Ruby said softly with a stunned expression on her face, not because of her declaration of protection. She got that daily from her. No… it was because Pancakes actually _did_ something she didn’t order her to or something related to an order. She even said… whatever the hell she just said! She guessed it was an inkling of emotion and she was perfectly okay with that! “Hehe… Thanks.”

“It will always be my pleasure, Ruby-sama.” Pancakes replied as she bowed before her eyes widened. Suddenly, she got out her light spears and went into a battle stance.

“Huh!?” Ruby exclaimed as she quickly turned around, only to see Ravel standing there. She sighed in relief, thinking for a second that Raiser got a second wind.

“What are you here for?” Issei said as he narrowed his eyes. “If you have a complaint, you better take it with-“

Issei stopped when he saw the Phoenix Bishop wrap her arms around Ruby.

“I’m… I’m sorry… for the actions my brother took… and my unwillingness to see it.” Ravel apologized. Ruby could definitely feel her chest getting wet.

“Er… okay…” Ruby said as she reluctantly hugged back. “Well… We’re cool. Just… It’s fine. I just want this day to be over.”

“Yeah… I think we’ve had enough of fighting for one day.” Rias said as she and Issei looked at each other, Issei’s eyes brimming with happiness and Rias’ eyes sparkling with love.

“Rias-buchou… Let’s go home.” Issei said. Rias just smiled and leaned her face closer to his. Finally, after everything… it was time for this chapter of this life to close and new one to be opened.

…Of course, things are never that simple are they?

**[WARNING, THIS IS NOT A DRILL, EVACUATE NOW. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. EVACUATE THE AREA NOW.]**

“What?” Ruby, Rias and Issei got out in confusion.

“Where there hell did that come from!?” Issei exclaimed, not seeing any speakers in the room.

“That was Grayfia.” Ruby realized before they all started looking around.

“And Onii-sama is missing…” Rias noted as the other Devils started to mumble to themselves why. Suddenly, they heard footsteps and multiple people banging on the door, right before it was opened by force.

“RUBY!” Weiss shouted out as she and Blake kicked down the door while everyone else ran through. “STOP THE PARTY! WE’RE-!”

“Huh? Guys? What are you doing here? Where’s Yang?” Ruby gasped. “Wait, how did you guys get here in the first place and…” The Human King then trailed off as she recognized an additional person with them. “…You…?”

“’Sup.” Raven said casually, though looked clearly panicked.

“Ruby-san! I’m glad you’re okay!” Asia said as she hugged the Rose.

“Um, we don’t need your help anymore. It’s over.” Rias said as she wrapped her arms around Issei. “Let’s go home.”

“King Ruby! The threat of Raiser Phoenix pales in comparison to what is coming now.” Penny stated as fast she could, while still being comprehensible. “There is no time to explain. We need to act before…”

“Whoa whoa whoa! Calm down.” Issei said as he tried to settle the girls down. “What the hell is happening?”

Suddenly, there was a rumbling. The ground shook as everyone tried to stay on their feet.

“What was that!?” Akeno asked as everyone felt power so potent it caused them to collapse to their knees. “What the…”

“We need to run!” Raven called out as everyone got up. “We need to run before-“

And then… there was a _roar_ that caused everyone to cover their ears. It sounded like it was coming from near-by.

“…Shit.” Raven swore. “No… Shit, shit, shit!”

“Hey! What the Hell is going on!?” Issei shouted out in frustration.

“Ruby, we need you!” Weiss said. “It’s Yang!”

“Yang!? Is something wrong!?” Ruby frantically asked, worried for her big sis. “What’s happ-“

**_BOOM!_ **

Ruby gasped awake, having been knocked out by a sudden blow to the head. Intense pain flooded her body as she tried to move, having broken a few bones including her right leg. Finding herself buried underneath some rubble, she dug her way out. After moving enough debris to get up, she took out Death Rose to help her up to see what was happening.

Ruby could only stare at the destruction around her. What was once an Assembly Hall was now just ruins with fire littering the area. The heat was nearly unbearable, as she saw people running or dying in the flames.

Slowly, she saw people moving amongst the debris.

Rias, Issei, Akeno, Koneko, Kiba, Asia, Weiss, Blake, Penny, Pancakes, Ravel and Raven. They all got up and helped each other recover from the sudden attack, with everyone with damaged clothes and covered in dirt and soot.

And right in front of them was a skyscraper-sized golden dragon with red eyes glaring directly at them.

“D-Dragon…” Rias whispered out in horror and awe at the sight.

“Wh-What…” Ruby got out as the dragon only looked at them. Studying them. Ready to kill them. Blake muttered something that got Ruby’s attention. “Blake… What is this thing…?”

Blake only replied with more inaudible sounds.

“Blake…”

“It’s…” Blake started, but couldn’t finish her sentence. She still couldn’t believe it herself.

“Blake…!”

“Ruby… You…” Blake wanted Ruby not know. It would break her.

“BLAKE!” Ruby shouted out as everyone got out their weapons while the dragon began to breathe in, readying a devastating attack.

“THAT’S YANG!” Blake yelled out. “THE FUCKING DRAGON IS YANG!”

And with that, the real final battle had begun.


	22. A Simple False Promise

“WHAT!?” Ruby shouted out before Issei pushed her and Asia behind cover from a massive fire breath that covered the entire area. “Wh-What? What did she just say?”

“No time! Fight!” Issei called out as he armed his Boosted Gear. “Ready Ddraig!?”

[No.] Ddraig said bluntly. [You’re completely drained from that fight with the Pheonix. If you used any more of my power, you would kill yourself.]

“Shit…” Issei mumbled under his breath. “Ruby, are you okay to fight?”

“I will until someone… tells me why Blake just… called that dragon… Yang.” Ruby replied as she tried to get up, and failing to do so thanks to her broken leg. And then the fatigue from all the energy she spent kicked in. “Besides, I don’t think… I can.”

“Is anyone injured!?” Kiba called out from his cover with Rias, Ravel and Weiss as everyone protected themselves from another fire breath.

“Ruby’s leg is busted over here!” Issei informed as Asia went to heal Ruby’s leg. “Asia’s with us right now.”

“We’re okay here!” Akeno called out as well, having formed a barrier that barely held against the fire with Blake, Pancakes and Penny behind her.

“…Safe here.” Koneko said, having taken cover with Raven.

“Kiba, get Ruby and Asia out of here!” Rias quickly started commanding. “Asia, once Ruby’s leg is healed, you go with Kiba and start helping any of the injured still in the area and help them get out of here!”

“That sounds like a plan but-“ Weiss stopped herself as they went back into cover as another fire breath almost fried them. “That sounds like a plan but we can’t move with Yang still attacking us.” The Heiress pointed out.

“Then have someone go and draw her attention while they do so.” Ravel said. “I can probably survive that dragon’s breath. I should be the one who should do it.”

“Then why are you here!?” Weiss exclaimed as Rias popped up to fire a few shots with her revolver. As expected, her bullet bounced off the scales like they were rubber balls.

“My healing factor isn’t as good as Onii-chan’s so I’m afraid that it might be too much.” Ravel explained before realizing. “Wait! Where’s Onii-chan!?”

“He was teleported away before this whole mess. He’s fine.” Rias answered before ducking down as another fire breath was set upon them. “But we’re not fine. Now get out there! We can’t last much longer!”

Ravel nodded, got out her wings and flew out of cover, throwing fireballs at the dragon.

“She might not be able to distract Yang alone.” Weiss said. “We just have to go for an all-out assault.”

“And risk draining ourselves when the battle has just started? No way.” Rias replied. “This is a battle of attrition. We need to last until someone who can actually beat her comes.”

“Fine, but we can’t stay here doing nothing.” Weiss said as she saw Akeno leave her cover to blast as much magic at the dragon she could muster to help Ravel. Rias nodded as they all left cover and started firing everything they had.

“Kiba! Now!” Rias ordered. The Prince of Kuoh nodded and ran over to Ruby, Asia and Issei.

“Would you like an escort, Rose-chan?” Kiba tried to lighten the mood as he picked up Ruby and put her on his back.

“K… Kiba… What’s going on?” Ruby groaned out. “Did Blake say… that dragon was Yang?”

“Yes, but that’s not important right now. We need to get you somewhere safe.” Kiba replied. “Asia-san, you both need to come with me to help the injured. Issei-kun, think you can keep her safe just in case the dragon attacks us?”

“Do you really have to ask that?” Issei said he got up. “Come on, Asia. We need to get going.”

“But what about the others? They’ll need me here.” Asia spoke up, worried for everyone’s safety.

“I know, but there are people who need you too.” Issei said in a comforting tone. “They’ll be fine. Now let’s go before the dragon targets us.”

Asia hesitated, taking a look at her friends as they fought the dragon before she nodded with a determined look on her face. “O-Okay. Let’s go, Issei-san.”

Meanwhile, while Kiba helped Issei, Asia and Ruby leave the area, the others were giving it their best to keep Yang distracted while they did so.

“Come on! Keep her attention off them! Hit her on all sides!” Rias commanded as everyone fighting did their best to keep the dragon from hurting anyone else while simultaneously surviving her attacks.

“Rias-buchou! Watch it!” Akeno shouted out, causing Rias to dive out of the way of the fist that was about to crush her flat. She quickly recovered and fired her gun, shooting Yang in the head. However, she was barely affected. If all else, she probably pissed her off even more.

“Where the hell is Pancakes!?” Blake called out before spotting her still sitting where there used to be cover. “Right, no one gave her a command.” Suddenly, her senses warned her of something _big_ that was about to be unleashed upon them. She cursed under breath before dashing towards the Fallen Angel, grabbing her and diving into a large, barely melted mass of rubble.

She roared once again before breathing fire upon her enemies, causing everyone to the same piece of cover that Blake and Pancakes were. This time, though, not everyone was safe.

“ARGH!” Penny screamed in pain as she pulled what’s left of her right arm into cover. It had completely melted into nothing. “M-My arm…” She whispered out as she thoroughly studied the damage. Luckily she had a few replacement limbs at the apartment or at least what’s left of it.

“It’s completely gone…” Blake muttered out as the fire breath stopped. “We can’t stay here. We need to get out of the area.”

“But it will only cause more problems than what we’re trying to fix.” Raven stated. “There are still people that need to be evacuated. If we’re in danger, no one else is. At least for now.”

“Which begs the question; are we leaving this place _alive!?_ ” Weiss shouted out. “The only plan we have is survive and wait for someone else for Hell knows how long. There has to be something we can do that allows us to survive.”

“The way I see it, we either kill her with an overwhelming amount of force, which I doubt we have,” Ravel spoke up. “Calm her down or, somehow, we get another dragon to fight her.”

It only took them a few seconds to figure out where to get that other dragon.

“…Issei!” The girls gasped in realization.

“…He’s drained though.” Koneko pointed out.

“Then we have to get him back into fighting condition ASAP.” Rias replied with a wince, not wanting to put her love in danger. “But that’s not exactly feasible right now.”

“Can’t you transfer your energy into him like… you did with us all that time ago?” Blake asked with a blush on her face.

“That takes several hours, which is way past our life expectancy right now.” Rias answered with a shake of her head. “We need something faster.”

“Maybe we can use our Auras. It’s a technique that’s used in dire situations.” Penny suggested. “If me, Knight Blake, Miss Raven and Bishop Weiss give our Auras to Pawn Issei, it might be enough to allow him back on the battlefield.”

“That might not work but it’s not like we have much of a choice.” Akeno said. “Okay, whose going to get him back here?”

“Knowing him, he’s probably running towards danger right now without as much as a second thought.” Weiss deadpanned.

“…You’re probably right.” Rias chuckled out. “Alright, Blake, you go and get-“

“He’s coming.” Koneko deadpanned as she saw the perverted idiot running bravely towards danger and his death, despite the fact the he was stumbling at every step. “And so is Ruby.”

“What!?” Rias exclaimed before squinting her eyes to see something... _red_ following right behind him, limping as fast as they could. “Oh dear Maou, they are, aren’t they?”

“What are those dolts thinking!?” Weiss exploded.

‘Wh-What’s…’ Ruby struggled to think, unable to comprehend what exactly was going on. All she knew was that people, her friends, were in danger and she could do nothing about it for now.

“This looks like a good spot to set her down.” Kiba said as they stopped by a flat stone slab among the destruction caused by the dragon. The Prince of Kuoh slowly set the exhausted King down carefully as Issei and Asia arrived. “Asia-san.”

“On it.” Asia nodded as she went over and started healing Ruby’s leg.

“U-Ugh…” Ruby groaned out as she tried to sit up, only to be put back down.

“Hey hey hey. Settle down.” Kiba said softly as Issei sat down next to Ruby. His legs were burning at this point. “You’re going to make it worse.”

“…How fast can you heal me?” Ruby asked.

“It’ll only take a minute or two.” Asia answered. “And… I know… what you’re thinking… please… don’t go…” She begged as tears started to fill her eyes.

“Asia. I… can’t just leave… everyone there.” Ruby said as she got herself mentally together. “They’ll die and…”

“You’ll die too!” Asia shouted out, tears running down her face. “Please Ruby-san… I don’t want to lose you! You’re… You’re…”

“Asia…” Ruby whispered out, feeling guilty from causing Asia to cry.

“You don’t believe that golden dragon is Yang, don’t you?” Issei spoke up. Ruby remained silent, but it was obvious what her answer was. “Well, we can find out together.”

“Neither of you are in the condition to fight.” Kiba stated seriously. “You’re both tired from your fight with Raiser. Both of you, you’ve fought enough for us so now it’s our turn to fight for you. Just rest.”

“…It’s probably a good idea.” Ruby muttered to herself.

“ _ARGH!_ ” Suddenly, they heard someone scream in pain in the direction of the ruins of the hall.

“That doesn’t sound good.” Kiba said as he summoned his swords. “I’m going to help. Issei, you stay here and keep the girls safe.”

“Screw that! I can’t ignore the screams of a woman.” Issei said as he stood. “You stay here. I got this.” And with that, he dashed off with reckless abandon.

“Huh? Issei-san!” Asia cried out, stopping her healing for a second. Ruby quickly took the chance to leap off the slab and run towards the battle as well. “Wait! You’re not ready!”

“I! Don’t! CARE!” Ruby shouted out as she ran farther and farther away from the Bishop and Knight. “I’m sorry!” Was the last thing they heard from the Low-Class King.

“We have to stop them!” Asia called out in worry.

“I know.” Kiba sighed out. “…But there are people that need us more.”

“They’re going to die!” Asia sobbed out.

“…Just believe in them. They’ll make it out, I’m sure.” Kiba comforted the former nun. “We need to get going and help anyone else injured here. Then we’ll help the others, okay?” Asia thought about it before nodding.

‘Everyone… please be alright.’ She prayed in her head as she and Kiba ran off to heal those in need. ‘I want to know why’s this is happening.’

“ ** _So, do you know what’s happening now? Do you know who you are,_ what _you are?_** ”

That was the question she was asked.

Over and over and over and over again.

She couldn’t focus for long. Her mind was… everywhere at the moment. She couldn’t for the life of her figure out what was happening. She could feel fire brush against of skin, blood drip from her fingers, the ground cracking beneath her feet. When did this happen?

She just… couldn’t figure out if she was awake or dreaming.

But… something was forming… in her head… her thoughts were slowing piecing itself together to form a bigger picture.

Who was she, really? Was she this girl with blonde hair she kept seeing? Or was she the golden dragon that was destroying everything in her path?

She tried to call on her memories, but they were scattered. Lost. She couldn’t tell if they were her memories or the others.

Then… she found her answer.

“…I think… I think I know…” Yang muttered to herself. “I… Did I know…? All this time…?”

“ ** _You should answer your own question then._** ” The dragon… no, it wasn’t a dragon. It was… It was a part of her. Somewhere deep inside, it was always a part of her.

Yang just looked up and the manifestation of her past life, her draconic side, knowing that there was no other answers.

“I… I am my own Sacred Gear.” Yang stated. “I am Bloodlust. I… I was… a dragon.”

 **“ _I still am. I never became anything else._** ” Her dragon side said in a comforting tone.

“N-No!” Yang called out in defiance. “I… If you’re my dragon side, then that must mean I have a human side somewhere. Where is she?” Yang stepped back as her dragon side lowered her head to her level.

“ ** _She is standing right here._** ” The dragon stated as Yang continued to back away. “ ** _You are holding me back from achieving my True Dragon Form. My return._ You don’t deserve to be me.**”

“You… I won’t let you!” Yang shouted out as she got out her gauntlets. “I’ll… You’re not me! It’s Yang Xiao Long now! Not… Not some giant lizard!”

“ ** _You’re losing._** ” The dragon softly chuckled out. “ ** _You’re not really sure who you are anymore. You are weak, nothing more than another ant that will be crushed under my heel._** ”

“Sh-SHUT UP!” Yang yelled out before going for a punch… before being casually blasted back.

“ ** _Don’t you realize? I am in control right now, getting my fill after all those years of starving._** ” The dragon said. “ ** _But it will take too long for me to be satisfied. And with you here, it will take years for me to finally satiate my desires._** ”

“…So you’re gonna kill me. Destroy my humanity.” Yang growled out as she tried to get up. For some reason her legs were responding. They were dead.

“ ** _It’s the only way._** ” The dragon said as she started charging her fire breath. “ ** _NOW_ DIE _!_** ”

Yang didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t fight back, she couldn’t do anything. All she could do was raise her arms and brace herself.

“Please… someone help me…!” Yang cried out, the hope of someone defeating her dragon half vanishing at a slow but constant rate.

“Why are you helping us!?” Weiss shouted out as Ruby and Issei arrived on the scene, getting to where everyone was resting in relative safety of the dragon.

“Well, I can’t leave cute girls like you to face something so dangerous alone.” Issei replied with a cocky smile, before Weiss slapped him in the face. “Ow! Hey!”

“We’re flattered that you came and we do need you but were you really planning to charge in without a plan?” Rias questioned with a serious tone in her voice.

“Er, I hoped Buchou would think of one.” Issei sheepishly admitted.

“Wow, that’s both sweet and completely idiotic.” Blake deadpanned.

“Penny!? What happened to your arm!?” Ruby exclaimed as she checked the damaged.

“Do not worry, King Ruby. This will be a simple repair afterwards however my combat effectiveness has severely suffered. I’m afraid I cannot fight to my fullest potential in this state.” Penny informed.

“It’s alright, it looks like you fought enough.” Ruby said as she peeked over cover, seeing the dragon look around. “Okay first off… is that thing really Yang?”

“Yes.” Raven replied. “To explain it simply, Yang is her own Sacred Gear.”

“Yang is her own _WHAT_!?” RWB and Issei shouted out in surprise while the others’ eyes widened.

“How would a human like you know that!?” Ravel demanded.

“Because I was her wielder and reason she’s here.” Raven answered before feeling a gun barrel pressed against her head. “Aw crap.”

“…It’s _you_. You’re the one Yang’s been searching for… You abandoned Yang and dad!” Ruby growled out, ready to pull the trigger.

“Ruby!” Rias called out. “Settle down! You can deal with her later. What’s important is the dragon that happens to be your sister that is currently _destroying the entirety of the Underworld_!”

Ruby grunted as she put down Death Rose. “Fine. So what are we looking at here?” The Reaper King asked.

“The dragon is dumb.” Koneko bluntly revealed.

“Koneko-chan is correct. It really only attacks us when we’re in her line of sight. Otherwise it will keep using fire breaths to flush us out.” Akeno explained. “She knows we’re still here though, that’s why she hasn’t left the area yet.”

“She’s essentially a mindless beast, but she doesn’t need a brain to kill us all.” Ravel sighed out.

“All we’re doing right now is keep her here until real help can arrive.” Rias said before hesitating. “And… they’re going to have to kill her.”

“WHAT!? Y-You can’t!” Ruby exclaimed. “You said that dragon is Yang.”

“Yes, but at the same time she isn’t. We have no other choice. She has to be stopped by any means necessary.” Rias stated seriously. “That dragon isn’t your sister, Ruby! She’s a mindless creature!”

“Hey! Didn’t you say that Yang was your Sacred Gear?” Issei pointed out as everyone focused their attention onto the nodachi-wielding woman. “Don’t you know anything that might help us!?”

“If you think reasoning is an option you’re sadly mistaken.” Raven replied. “I don’t know what to do. All we can do is survive.”

“Damn it.” Issei mumbled to himself before looking at his sacrificed arm. ‘Ddraig, can’t you speak to her? You’re a dragon, maybe you can calm her down.’

[Er… That might not be the greatest idea.] Ddraig replied, sounding rather sheepish. [The break-up wasn’t pretty.]

“Wait, what?” Issei got out in shock before another layer of fire covered the area, melting their only defense against her attacks. “Oh shit!”

“We can’t stay here! We need to attack!” Weiss called out.

“Right. Issei, lie down and relax.” Blake said as she placed the pervert on the ground, as Penny and Weiss came over. “We’re going to need some time. Everyone else has to stall.”

“That’s all we can do.” Rias said with a nod before turning to Ruby. “You stay here. I saw how you ran. You’ll die if you tried to fight.”

“But-“ Ruby tried to argue but stopped when Rias gave her a worried look. “…Just don’t kill her. Promise me that.”

“…We’ll try.” Rias replied before standing up and getting out her weapons. “Get ready everyone for another assault!” She ordered as she, Ravel, Akeno, Raven and Koneko got up.

“Hey, what are you-“ Issei started to complain only for Weiss to cover his mouth.

“Shut up, this will help.” Weiss said before turning her head towards the others. “Give her hell.” Rias nodded before they threw themselves into the fray. Ruby quickly got out Crescent Rose in its Sniper Form so she could play support.

“Pancakes, help them!” Ruby commanded.

“Yes Mistress.” Pancakes replied with a bow before flying into the air.

“Akeno! Use some ice spells and aim for the throat!” Rias shouted out as she took some potshots at the dragon to draw her attention before flipping backwards away from a slash of the dragon’s claws.

“Got it!” Akeno called back as flew around, hitting the dragon’s neck. However, the dragon just breathed fire at her. Thinking quickly, the Queen retracted her wings so she would fall faster before bringing them out once again before she hit the ground, cursing under her breath as she saw the heat melted her ice as she switched to her tried and true lightning.

“Tch! That plan is out.” Rias grunted out as Ruby used warning shots to guide the dragon’s head around, leading into Koneko’s thrown rubble and Pancakes’ light spears, both of which were either disintegrating on impact or bouncing off. “Ruby! I know you can hit her!”

“Ack!” Ruby scowled before shaking her head. No, she wasn’t going to hurt her under any circumstance. Not even when she’s like this. But it doesn’t mean she can’t tell others to hurt Yang. “Koneko! Jump! Pancakes! Catch Koneko and fly high!”

Koneko only nodded as she jumped into the Fallen Angel’s hands and sped off into the sky while Ruby activated her headset.

“Pancakes! Rook and swing around!” Ruby commanded.

“ ** _Promotion._** ” Ruby heard her Pawn say in a dull tone as she saw her swing Koneko around by her ankles at blinding speeds.

“Time it, time it, time it…” Ruby muttered under her breath before yelling. “NOW! LET GO AND FOLLOW UP!”

Ruby smirked as she saw Koneko speeding off like missile towards the enemy as Pancakes flew as fast as she could towards her Mistress’ target.

What caused her smirk to die horribly was the fact that Koneko was grabbed in midair and slammed into the ground and Pancakes was swatted away like a fly, sending her crashing through some of the ruins of the Assembly Hall.

“Koneko!” Rias screamed out in worry before rolling away from a swipe of the dragon’s claws and fired Devil Trigger at her while Akeno helped Koneko get to safety.

“Shit shit shit.” Ruby swore frantically as she turned on her headset. “Pancakes? Are you okay? Answer me!”

“ ** _I am… fine. I will return to battle shortly._** ” Pancakes answered, causing Ruby to sigh in relief.

“We can’t hold it off for much longer!” Ravel shouted out as she futilely threw more fireballs at the dragon. “There’s no way we can win like this! We have to escape!”

“We can’t.” Ruby seethed before looking at her peerage. “How much longer!?”

“ETA: Unknown. Aura levels are too for an accurate estimate.” Penny informed.

“Ugh… It… might be enough…” Weiss panted out as they continued to give Issei as much of their Aura as they could. However, they were quickly tiring.

“Just… a little bit… more…” Blake grunted as they started to poured as much as they could in one burst.

“Maintain or we fail.” Raven stated as Issei felt stronger and stronger.

[You just need a little bit more before you can do anything with your Sacred Gear.] Ddraig informed. [So, Hyoudou, you have a plan?]

‘Maybe.’ Issei thought before the girls collapsed on top of him. He quickly started to resist getting a boner. ‘Not now, Issei Junior!’ He scolded his pride and joy.

“That’s… everything…” Weiss groaned out as they slowly dragged themselves off of the Pawn.

“That’s okay.” Issei said as he got up. “I can do this! _Boosted Gear!_ ” He shouted out as the green jewel on his Sacred Gear glowed once again. “Thanks.”

“Just go and save everyone already.” Blake groaned as Issei charged in, already using his Boosted Gear to the fullest.

**BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!**

“Gargh!” Issei grunted in pain as he went to his knees.

[Careful! You’re still recovering from using my energy. Do not Boost too much.] Ddraig informed his wielder.

“That’s okay. I’ll Boost until my body gives out!” The Pawn got out in determination as he ran towards the dragon. “I’ll die before I give up!”

[Which at this rate, you will.] Ddraig mumbled to himself.

“Come on, Yang! I’ll show how much I improved!” Issei declared as swiftly dodged a swipe of the dragon’s claws. “Buchou! I need a Promotion!”

“Issei!” Rias called out, worried that her lover would push himself too far… again. However, she trusted him. “Okay, you have my permission!”

“Yes! _Promotion! Knight!_ ” Issei exulted, pumping his fist in the air in delight. “Try and keep up now!” He taunted as he flickered away of a crushing blow, appearing to the dragon’s left. “Come on, Sacred Gear! Give me more!”

**BOOST! BOOST!**

Just as he boosted his strength, Ruby saw Pancakes arrived. She looked rather messed up, but she wasn’t bleeding too much at least. “Pancakes, get them a safe distance away from here!” Ruby ordered as she pointed towards the exhausted pile that was her peerage.

“Of course, Mistress.” Pancakes replied with a bow before grabbing Weiss and flying off. Her tired friends and that bitch were safe, now she can focus on the battle, leading the dragon’s head around as Issei jumped up and punched her in the head.

Ruby yelped as she rolled away as Yang destroyed her cover. Now nothing among the ruins would shield them against the dragon’s attacks and sight.

Rias quickly grew worried as she saw the dragon breathe in deeply.

“Everyone! Oncoming Breath Attack!” The Gremory King warned.

“Shit! Cov… er…” Ruby squeaked as she saw there was nothing in the area. “No no no!”

“BUCHOU! RUBY!” Issei called out as he tackled both Kings down, using himself as a shield. “Damn it, ROOK!”

“Issei! No!” Ruby and Rias exclaimed before the dragon unleashed her fire upon them.

But instead of hearing the sounds of their tortured, burning screams… they heard someone else’s.

“ _GAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!_ ” Ravel screamed in terrible pain as she shielded everyone with her body, having no time to cast a strong enough ward. After the fire died, they saw that Ravel was a burnt crisp, collapsing onto the ground while she slowly regenerated. Her clothes had turned to ashes, leaving her exposed to the world. And it hurt like a bitch. “Agh… Ah…” She groaned in a raspy tone.

“R-RAVEL!” Ruby, Issei and Rias cried out as they checked on the girl.

“Th-That was dumb.” Ravel coughed out, her hair already re-growing at rapid rate.

“Wh-Why…?” Issei had to ask, tears running down everyone’s faces.

“An… An apology.” Ravel replied with a strained smile before falling unconscious from the pain.

“Damn it…” Ruby whispered out as she wrapped Ravel in her cloak. Meanwhile, Issei growled at the dragon as he stood up.

“You daughter of a bastard…!” Issei yelled out, Boosted Gear glowing bright. “I’LL MAKE YOU REGRET THIS!”

“Issei, NO!” Ruby shouted out, but it was too late.

**BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!**

“Issei!” Rias exclaimed as she saw him collapse to his knees, before seeing him stand up.

‘Don’t give up. Don’t give up. Don’t give up!’ Issei mentally chanted as he clenched his fists, ignoring everything telling him to give up.

“Come on, Hyoudou! COME ON! JUST! ONE! MORE!” Issei panted out as he activated his Sacred Gear despite his body screaming for him to stop.

**BOOST!**

“Yes!” Issei cheered out, despite the fact that his legs were about to give out from underneath him. He then jumped away from another attack.

“Whatever you’re planning! Use it! NOW!” Ruby shouted out, while Rias held onto Issei just to keep him standing on his own two feet.

“Alright Buchou! Here it goes!” Issei declared with a cocky smile. “ _Boosted Gear Gift!_ ” He called out, transforming his Sacred Gear… before shoving it into his King’s right breast.

“Issei!? What you doing!?” Rias yelped with a large blush on her face. Especially when she felt him squeeze.

“Doing what we should’ve done to that bastard! _Transfer!_ ” Issei replied as suddenly, Rias felt her power multiply like crazy! Red and black electricity danced around her body… while she started to feel tingly between her legs.

“Wh-WHOA! AAAHHH!” Rias exclaimed as she felt immense power flow throughout her body and dampness in her panties. “Ah… Ah…! W-What the…?”

“Blow ‘em away Buchou!” Issei called out. Realizing what Issei had in mind, she put away her weapons and formed the largest ball of pure destruction she had ever created, raising it over her head as it grew in size. She struggled to maintain it once it grew to the size of several cars.

“I-Issei! Everyone! Out of t-the way!” Rias warned Issei and Ruby. Both the Low-Class King and Pawn hesitated before a quick glare told them to go, no exceptions. They cursed under their breath and ran, with Issei carrying Ravel bridal style. “I’m sorry. E- _Extinguished Star!”_ She declared as she threw it towards the dragon, staying her ground.

The dragon roared as the slow moving ball of death headed towards it, not moving an inch as it grew closer as the ground disintegrated in its path.

And then… they touched.

**_BOOM!_ **

The sound of the explosion was deafening as even though everyone had retreated to what was thought to be a safe distance, they were blasted back by the sheer force of it, some skidding the across the ground as Weiss, Akeno and Koneko had not properly braced themselves in time.

By now, the ruins of the Assembly Hall had become a crater.

“Buchou!” Issei called out, hoping to hear her voice. There was no response.

“R-Rias!” Akeno shouted out in worry as everyone rushed to the crater to make sure the Gremory Princess was alright. Eventually, they all arrived and saw that Rias was unconscious, her dress in tatters and covered in dirt.

“U-Ugh…” Rias groaned out as she woke up and saw the amount of destruction she caused. “What the…?”

“Where’s the dragon?” Blake asked as she sniffed around before grimacing. The smell of burning and other scents she couldn’t describe were too powerful to pick out the scent of the dragon. Everyone looked around and saw no sign of Yang. Nothing gold glinted in the light, everything around them was dead.

“Buchou… did…” Akeno asked in grim tone as she, Weiss and Koneko arrived, all of them helping her King up onto her knees.

“I…” Rias got out as she saw Ruby fall to her knees, her body shivering as she realized what has happened. Ravel, who recovered and was wearing a hastily retrieved, dirty and burnt dress shirt taken off a intact dead person, put Ruby’s cloak on for her and rubbed her back in an attempt to comfort her. “Ruby… I…”

“Y-Yang…” Ruby sobbed out.

Suddenly, the ground started to rumble.

“Huh!?” Issei exclaimed as he saw the ground in front of them started to crack. “That’s not good. That is _not_ good!”

Then, bursting from the ground came out the dragon. Unscathed and thoroughly angry. She searched around, ignoring the terrified group until her eyes settled on Issei.

“ ** _Ddraig…!_** ” The dragon growled out.

“D-Ddraig!?” Ruby exclaimed in confusion before looking at Issei, who looked horrified.

“Oh shit!” Issei squeaked out. Not only did the attack do absolutely nothing, the dragon was now targeting him solely because she knew he had Ddraig in him.

[I told you the break-up wasn’t pretty.] Ddraig deadpanned. [Now she’s either going to kill you or try and have sex with you. Either way, _run_.]

And with a distinct, girlish scream Issei dived out of the way of a hand that would’ve surely crushed him into paste. “What do you say about having sex with me!?” Issei yelled out as he continued to dodge slashes of the dragon’s claws as she chased after him, all while crying.

 “…Unlucky.” Koneko sighed out as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Where the hell is our help!?” Weiss called out as she looked around, just hoping there was someone coming.

“They’re probably still evacuating the area.” Blake guessed.

“Can we stop talking and save his ass!?” Ruby shouted out as she got out Death Rose.

“…No. I’ll do it.” Raven spoke up. Ruby thought about it, gripping tighter onto her weapon before putting it away.

“…Fine. Raven and I will fight the dragon. I need someone to get Asia back here and-“ Ruby started issuing orders, however Raven put her hand up, causing her to stop.

“By myself.” Raven finished. “You gave it your all. Now, it’s my turn.”

“WHAT!? That’s suicide!” Akeno called out.

“I’ll be fine. So don’t get in my way.” Raven replied off-handedly as she ran, chasing after the dragon and her prey.

“We’re not just going to let her, are we!?” Ruby exclaimed as started to run off, only for Rias to stop her.

“Yes. If we tried to help, I’m afraid we’ll make it worse and become burdens.” Rias stated. “We did all we could, now is the time to rest.”

“But we can’t… I can’t…” Ruby mumbled out as she clenched her fists.

“If you want save everyone, start it off by not dying! Please!” Rias snapped at her fellow King. “You’ve already done enough, don’t push yourself.”

“I…” Ruby tried to argue but the words died in her throat. Ruby knew that she was right. “Okay, Rias.”

“OHSHITOHSHITOHSHITOHSHITOHSHITOHSHIT!” Issei yelled out as he continued to run. “NOT LIKE THIS! I DON’T WANT TO LOSE MY VIRGINITY LIKE THIS!”

[And you know, not die.] Ddraig deadpanned.

“I THOUGHT THAT WAS IMPLIED!” Issei bawled, his legs miraculously not giving out on him yet despite all the stress he put his body through.

No, wait. They just did.

“FUCK!” The Pawn yelped as he tripped and landed face-first onto the ground. “Ah…!” He groaned as he turn himself over onto his back, just in time to see the dragon getting ready to either grab him or crush him. “Damn it! ARGH!” Issei shouted out as he pulled up his dragon arm to shield himself…

Just before being tackled out of the way a split second before the dragon could destroy him.

“Get out of here. I got her.” Raven told the boy. Issei hesitated, not wanting to leave her alone to fight the dragon. “I said _go_!”

“…Dammit!” Issei swore before running back to the main group as Raven stared down the dragon, which seemed to be just as mad at her.

“You hear me… right my Little Dragon?” Raven asked before sighing. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I broke my promise. I’m sorry I left you. I’m sorry for not being there. I… There’s no excuse for my actions, but please stop this senseless destruction. You created life after years of causing death. You chose to abandon your past to start anew, to be better… And I just left you.” She stated in a harsh tone. “So… If you want to, kill me and end this. Now. I’m not asking you as your mother… I’m asking you as your _partner_. Your _friend_! But before you do, remember who were before I gave birth to you. Of everything we’ve been through. I… I don’t want to hurt you…”

“ ** _…Ra…ven…?_** ” The dragon growled out before roaring in rage, causing everyone to cover their ears. After the roar was over, Raven let a tear down her face before wiping it away.

She didn’t remember.

“…If that’s how it is…” Raven said in a regretful tone as she closed her eyes.

Maybe her life wouldn’t have gone down this path if she hadn’t got that gauntlet. Maybe things would’ve been different if she hadn’t left her with Taiyang. Maybe… Summer, her team, would be here helping her if she wasn’t such a coward.

But now was not the time to wonder what if, it was time to make things right.

Raven’s eyes snapped open, glowing dark red as she felt the power of a Maiden flow throughout her body. “Then I’ll make you remember.” Raven declared as she created a sword made of ice while dark clouds started to form in the sky. “This is the promise! As the Spring Maiden! As the First Wielder of Bloodlust!” She shouted as she floated into the air.

“What the…” Ruby got out in awe as the dragon started to fly into the air as well.

“Spring… Maiden…?” Weiss whispered out, remembering the story.

Blake just went silent, unable to comprehend what was happening. Practically everyone in Remnant knew the story of the Four Maidens but seeing something from a fairy tale coming to life right in front of her… to see it that it was real was insane.

“What the hell!? What was that about a Maiden!?” Issei asked as the dragon and her mother stared each other down. He suddenly felt a little inadequate right now.

“It is from a fairy tale from Remnant. It goes that four young women visited a hermit, tending to him and showing kindness. In return, he gave them great power, and as the embodiment of the seasons, would go through our world and spread their gift. It seems that Miss Raven has the power of the Spring Maiden.” Penny explained as she scanned Raven, using as much processing power as she could manage. However, it was either damaged or Raven’s power was just that immense because it started to cause glitches in her HUD.

“That sounds a little like… a Sacred Gear.” Akeno gasped out.

“…Powerful.” Koneko said plainly, but her expression was just as amazed as everyone else.

“Could it be… She had two Sacred Gears…!?” Rias muttered to herself, the power Raven was showing overwhelming her. While not as powerful as her brother, it was pretty damn close.

“T-T-That’s… That’s i-i-i-im-impossible!” Ravel sputtered.

“You know, at this point nothing’s really out of the realm of possibility.” Weiss admitted.

“What… What can we do?” Ruby asked nervously.

“…Watch, hope she doesn’t die and jump in when she might.” Rias answered, feeling that the _real_ battle was about to start.

 “You first.” Raven taunted, before splitting the fire breath with her ice sword before disappearing and reappearing behind the dragon, her ice sword gone having destroyed it slicing up the dragon. She blasted the dragon with a barrage of icicle shards before grabbing her nodachi, charging it with energy before unleashing it out of its sheath, blasting away the dragon with a concussive wind.

“WHOA!” Issei exclaimed as everyone braced themselves from the powerful gust of air. “Dude, this lady is crazy powerful!” He marveled as Raven flew towards the dragon. It looks like Raven was moving the battle elsewhere.

“Runs in the family. Follow them!” Ruby shouted out as they all nodded, following the path of destruction caused by the ongoing battle between the Spring Maiden and her daughter.

Raven knew she had to use everything in her arsenal to take down the dragon, so she wasn’t going to hold back.

Thinking on the fly, she lured the dragon to somewhere with some buildings that weren’t destroyed yet just so she would have some cover and breathing room, as well as some ammo. Surely everyone had evacuated, so she was going to let loose.

She flew under a swipe, slicing up the underbelly of the beast before enhancing her weapon to cleanly slice through a building then flew to the other side and created a strong gust of wind to cause it to tip over onto the dragon.

Raven stopped flying and ran and jumped on the falling debris, using the chaos to hide herself before leaping off right in front of the dragon’s eyes, just so she would see how pissed she is just before summoning a lightning strike.

Raven winced as she saw the electricity flow through her scales harmlessly. However, it didn’t matter as she quickly started flying again, already charging up her next attack.

“Cool down already!” Raven stormed as she blasted the dragon with powerful blast of ice, freezing the dragon and encasing her in ice.  Raven quickly shielded her eyes as the dragon fell out of sky and onto the ground, kicking up dust, destroying several more buildings and causing an impact crater. ‘Really…? _Cool down_? Ugh, nice going.’ Raven mentally sighed to herself.

Of course that block of ice wasn’t going to keep the dragon trapped for long. But gave her a little time to think about her next move.

“Keep blasting her with ice and cold attacks.” Raven muttered to herself as she heard the ice starting to crack as it began to melt rapidly. “Hopefully it might slow down her heart rate which _might_ cool her down and transform back into a human.”

She then dodged deadly boulder-sized chunks of ice, her nose barely touching instant-death when the dragon burst of out of its icy prison. “Yeah. I just need to cool her down to Absolute Zero for that to work.” She grumbled to herself before charging at the dragon while creating an electric force field around herself to shield herself against a precision fire breath before tackling it through a building.

 “Wh-What was that!?” Asia exclaimed as they stopped running, seeing buildings crumbling in the distance and feeling the shockwave. They finished their search and rescue mission as soon as there was a giant explosion coming from the ruins of the Assembly Hall. They were already making their way there to see what happened and heal their friends, until the stopped to see and giant golden blur being sent away from the area, followed by a much smaller red and black blur.

“I don’t know, but I assume that the battle has shifted to another location.” Kiba deduced. “We better hurry and see that no one has been seriously hurt or worse.”

Asia just nodded, worried to death about to others as she climbed onto Kiba’s back. They nodded at each other before becoming blurs themselves, dashing towards the new battleground.

“WATCH IT!” Issei called out as he pulled Akeno out of the way of falling debris. They both breathed heavily at the near-death experience.

“Thank you, Issei-kun.” Akeno breathed out.

“Yeah, whatever.” Issei panted out before both of them were tackled out of the way of a chunk of ice that was about to land on them.

“No time to talk! Just run!” Ruby shouted out as she helped them up before they all followed the trail of destruction, followed by everyone else.

“This is insane!” Ravel shrieked as she melted the falling ice boulders with fireballs while running. “Where do you get these people, Gremory-san!?” She had to ask.

“It’s… _really_ complicated.” Rias answered as she fired into the air with her gun to break apart all the debris and ice that was raining from the sky, and then using Dragon’s Breath to slice through them.

“The battle has moved east! I repeat, the battle has moved east!” Penny informed as the group quickly changed directions, before Weiss went ahead and turned around to run in the right direction.

“This is basically an apocalypse.” Blake muttered out. “Except it’s in _Hell_. Though, I have to admit it’s a lot nicer than I expected if it all wasn’t abandoned or destroyed.”

“Yeah… this _was_ nice.” Rias sighed out. ‘And it’s all my fault.’ She thought grimly as she leaped over another dead body. If she didn’t lie…’

“Focus, Rias. We’ll take care of it later.” Ruby said as she sliced through rubble after seeing the depressed look on Rias’ face.

“…Whatever happens, thanks.” Rias spoke up.

“For what?” Ruby asked as she looked back.

“For… I don’t know. Everything.” Rias answered. Ruby just nodded before they both got a move on.

“Come on, come on!” Raven told herself as she turned herself into a raven to make herself harder to hit, flying around the dragon to confuse her. ‘I really hate my life…’ She deadpanned in her head as she quickly changed direction and flew through a window, turning herself human so she could run from the wall of death before drop-kicking through another window and fell as the dragon burst through the building.

As soon as she saw the tail, she flew up to it and grabbed it. She gripped onto the tail as strong as she could. ‘Okay, Step 1 of Plan 87 done. So, what’s the next step Raven?’ She thought as she studied her situation a little.

Unable to think of anything, she decided the best course of action was to just hit it with everything.

Climbing up the tail, they dragon tried shake her off only for her to freeze her eyes shut to allow her time to climb up the monster. If she let go, the retaliation was going to be brutal.

However, she slipped off before she could reach her goal.

“Son of a bitch!” Raven swore out before she started and taking out her sword.

“What’s going on?” Kiba asked as he and Asia appeared before the group.

“No time to explain! We need to get inside!” Weiss replied as she shoved them into the nearest building.

“Is anyone hurt?” Asia inquired as she studied everyone, worried by the sorry condition they were in.

“We’re fine. We need to get to the rooftop.” Ruby answered as she made her way to the stairs, trying to ignore the limp she had.

“She’s going to kill herself at this rate.” Blake stated glumly.

“Well, it’s killing her knowing that her sister is that monster destroying everything out there.” Akeno quietly pointed out.

“No she isn’t.” Ruby growled. “Now _let’s go_.”

“LET GO!” Raven shouted out as she stabbed the dragon’s hand, trying to make it release her, occasionally hitting the dragon’s face with ice. “LET GO OF ME!” She yelled out as she summoned the strongest lightning bolt she could conjure from skies.

And, to her surprise, she managed to affect the dragon.

Unfortunately, she was still connected to the dragon but that was an danger she was willing to-

**_BZZT!_ **

“ _GAAAAAHHHHH!_ ” Raven screamed in pain as the dragon dropped her onto a rooftop before falling and twitching all the way down.

The Spring Maiden spent a few minutes twitching and trying to overcome the aftershocks, wanting to recover before her daughter did.

“Thank… God for Aura…” Raven groaned in pain as she got up before stumbling to the ground as a flash of weakness overcame her. “T-Too much…” She winced, one of her legs feeling numb at the moment.

And just to ruin her day even more, the dragon flew up in front of her, ready to finish her off.

“…Yang. Please, listen to me…” Raven panted out.

She didn’t expect an answer.

She closed her eyes for the finishing blow, for Yang to take her life until…

**_BANG!_ **

…A bullet bounced off the dragon’s wings. The dragon turned around to what’s trying to interrupt killing her prey and saw… a bunch of dirty teenagers with scythes, swords and other weapons in their hands standing on the opposite rooftop.

“I think I got her attention Ruby.” Issei got out as retracted the bolt to release the casing from Death Rose. “Uh… What do we do now?”

Ruby only smirked at this.

“OPEN FIRE! UNLEASH HELL!” Ruby commanded. As soon as those words left her mouth, every was throwing everything they could. Ruby and Issei firing with Sniper Rifles while Asia healed them, Ravel casting a stream of fire, Rias and Blake using their pistols, Koneko, Kiba and Pancakes throw chucks of the building, swords and spears, Weiss using her hidden gun in Hungersnot and magic, and Akeno throwing every spell she knew.

It did nothing, of course, but it let the real damage dealer recover.

“RRRAAAHHH!” Raven cried out as she unleashed the biggest gust of wind she could muster, sending the dragon higher into the sky. “STAY!” She began as flew higher than the dragon. Pulling back her fist, she condensed enough ice around it to create a large fist.

Her eyes glowing a dark red, she threw her fist just as the dragon neared her.

**_“DOWN!”_ **

**_WHAM!_ **

“U-Ugh…” Raven groaned out as she started to lose consciousness, falling out of the sky after using putting everything she had into her attack.

“Come on! We have to help when they land!” Asia called out.

“Uh, I think they’re landing on _us_.” Blake pointed out as the shadow rapidly grew larger and larger, eclipsing the fragile building they were all standing on. There were no other means of escape other than off the building and those who could fly wouldn’t be able to fly fast enough to evade getting hurt.

Weiss was the only one quick-witted enough to eloquently describe how utterly _fucked_ they were.

“AAAHHHH-”

**_CRASH!_ **

Ruby gasped awake as she struggled to stand up, rubble from a new building weighing her down before it fell off her ruined cloak. She had to take out one of her weapons just to support herself. She couldn’t feel her arm anymore. It was stuck in this odd angle and was barely able to move her other hand.

How did everything devolve into this?

Standing among what was left of a building, Ruby could only stare at the _thing_ in front of her. Her clothes in tatters, her right arm useless and her body yelling at her to collapse, Ruby could only just lean on Crescent Rose as the monster in front of her roared. She couldn’t believe it. After all this time she spent training, learning about being a Devil and becoming a half-decent King, it still wasn’t enough. Rias’ peerage couldn’t damage the creature. Her own peerage, young but determined and as strong as ever, had fallen when they had challenged the monster of mass death and destruction. She was sure they were alive but they weren’t standing back up soon. It was unstoppable. It was hopeless. It was impossible to fight it and win. It was supposed to be a simple mission. It all started with such a simple mission. As she lost consciousness, she went back to the day that started it all.

The day she learned she was the Human King.

Raven quickly caught her before she fell to the ground, setting her down gently as the dragon proceeded to destroy more of the building to find them. She looked down, seeing the amount of pain and abuse Ruby had put her body through just help her friends, even if she was dying on the spot.

“…She would be so proud of you.” Raven whispered out as she cleaned the dirt off of the Reaper’s face and breaking her arm so it would set right after this was over before turning around, seeing the dragon now glaring at her as Ruby awoken once more, screaming once she was able to feel pain again.

“You think this is over? I’ve only just begun.” Raven dared as she stared down the monster in front of her, among the wreckage of the building, fire and destruction all around her as Ruby fought to stand up again, while everyone else was blissfully unconscious.

Then, it _roared_.

She then punched Raven through several walls and out the building.

“Raven!” Ruby shouted out before rapidly crawling away as the dragon went after Raven, wincing as several bits of debris hit her. “Owowow… Where is everyone? Damn it, ow…”

“O-Ow…” Raven grunted in pain, clutching onto her arm before creating an ice sword, turning around and slashing the dragon’s face in a wide arc, hoping to stop her. However, all it ended up doing was smashing the ice sword and being pinned down one of her claws.

The Bandit tried to get it off her, casting thunder upon the dragon only to stop when she felt the dragon’s claw easily dug the claw into her chest, break through her sternum and stop millimeters from her heart.

Raven coughed up blood after that as the dragon withdrew claw and proceeded to beat her into the ground.

“We… We can’t win…” Ruby whispered out as just saw the dragon beat down their only hope. “Yang… Yang… Please stop…” She begged quietly as she went to her knees.

_“Do you think you’ve had enough? After everything you’ve done?” Ruby asked the now crying, broken, Fallen Angel._

_“Kill me.” Raynare could only say weakly. She just wanted her life to end._

_Ruby had other ideas however._

_“I don’t think you’ve suffered enough.” Ruby stated before creating another ball of blue energy, causing Raynare to panic._

_“No. NO! NO MORE!” Raynare cried out as she tried to get away from Ruby, but from the intense pain she was feeling right now, all she could do stare at Ruby, who was slowly approaching her._

_“They say that an eye for an eye makes whole world go blind.” Ruby said as she studied the ball of energy before looking back at Raynare. “Those people are fucking liars.”_

Suddenly, Ruby knew what to do.

Meanwhile, in Yang’s mind, she was still fending off her dragon side. She was on her last legs at this point.

“ ** _Why don’t you give up? It is hopeless!_** ” Her dragon side growled as she continued to weaken the barrier between her and absolute control.

“No… I won’t…” Yang whispered out, feeling all her strength leave. “Every time I lose, I lose something dear to me! Not anymore! NOT ANYMORE! YOU HEAR ME!? I! Won’t! LOSE!” She yelled out as the barrier between them strengthened back to full power.

“ ** _You talk big but I know you’re about to give in. You only need one last push. Or,_** ” The dragon stated calmly… before casually flicking the barrier, destroying it instantly. Yang screamed in pain as clutched her head, her body flickering like a computer glitch. “ ** _A flick of a finger._** ”

“No… I can’t…” Yang whimpered as tears ran down her face. “I… can’t…”

She was going to lose.

She was going to die.

“Ruby… Mum…” Yang sobbed out as she hugged herself, waiting for her demise. “Help… I don’t wanna die…”

Her dragon side grinned before breathing, ready to finish off this worthless side that grew like a tumor.

Then, as she unleashed what was surely her final attack…

A shout shielded her and gave her hope once more.

**_“YANG!”_ **

Ruby knew it was suicidal to get the dragon’s attention onto her but she had no choice.

Ruby knew she had no choice but to go through with the worst plan she had ever thought of as a Huntress-In-Training.

She had to win no matter what.

They were trying to attack her through pure brute force, trying to break unbreakable armour. But… they haven’t tried to attack her where she was _really_ vulnerable.

The dragon may be dumb… but she should know pain.

Ruby glanced down as her hand, the cyan glow of her Power of Suffering flickering to life.

She didn’t want to do this.

She didn’t want to do this again.

She didn’t want to inflict this power upon someone, especially someone close to her heart.

But now… it was their only hope.

“…I’m sorry Yang.” Ruby whispered out before her eyes flashed red while her power glowed on her good hand. “But… I can’t think of any other way.” She regretfully added as she and the dragon stared each other down, the dragon ignoring the dying woman, who would’ve been lying in a large pool of her own blood if it wasn’t absorbed by Yang.

 It kind of hit her that right now she was fighting a dragon that happened to be her half-sister with a broken arm and a barely functioning leg without a weapon.

But in the back of her mind… she knew she had already won.

“YYYYAAAAANNNNGGGG!” Ruby screamed out as she ran straight at the dragon. It was either from agonizing pain or a battle cry, she didn’t know or care at this point. It was time to finish this.

Ruby cried out with every move she made. She dived to the right of a crushing fist, ducked under a swipe, jumped when the dragon tried to grab her, rolled away as the dragon shot fireballs at her. She used her Semblance to dodge every attack that was thrown at her, probably destroying the use of her leg all the while if she were human.

But she wasn’t. Not anymore.

She is a Devil. A King.

And this, all this destruction and suffering, would not stand as long as she was alive.

She eventually got to the tail of the dragon and ran up it. The dragon couldn’t react fast enough as Ruby ran up her back and onto her head, the Reaper crying all the while as stabilized herself as best as she could.

“I’M!” Ruby yelled out as she reared back her fist, the Power of Suffering concentrated into it. “SORRY!” She wailed as she slammed it into the dragon’s brain.

**[Issei’s suffering]**

“ ** _GAH!_** ” Both Yang and her dragon side yelped in pain, feeling a thousand swords stabbed into their stomachs. But in actuality, there was only one glowing blue sword in them. Yang had hers in she abdomen while the dragon had hers in her head. A physical representation of the Power of Suffering.

“ ** _Wh-What is… this feeling…?_** ” The dragon wondered in horror.

“It’s…” Yang groaned out before glaring at her dragon side with purple eyes. “Nothing.”

**[Rias’ suffering]**

Yang grunted as she felt her insides be torn apart. Her heart being crushed to a pulp.

But this was nothing.

Nothing compared to all the suffering and pain she had experienced in Remnant, no matter how much she tried to hide it and pass it off as nothing.

Lost friends.

Destroyed relationships.

Dead loved ones.

All of that only made her stronger.

Unlike the dragon within, who never experienced any of it… until now.

**[Asia’s suffering]**

“ ** _AAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!_** ” The dragon screamed out as Ruby kept punching her in the head, keeping herself on her head as she thrashed around. Her roars started to sound like a really deep, guttural version of Yang’s voice as Ruby started to spot strands of golden hair starting to grow.

But she kept going. She couldn’t stop even if it ripped her heart from her chest.

**[Akeno]**

“ ** _MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!_** ” Yang’s dragon side begged as she clutched onto her head, feeling it tear open. Meanwhile, Yang continued to tank all the pain that was continuously flowing into her body.

She couldn’t last long, but she didn’t have to. She just had to outlast _her._

**[Koneko]**

Yang suddenly felt her limbs being torn apart, yet they were still there as more and more were stabbed into them. “I… can do this… all day…!” The Brawler boasted, determination in her voice.

**[Kiba]**

“PLEASE! STOP! PLEASE! STOP!” Ruby begged as she continued to hit the dragon in the head, which started to become more and more human-like. Meanwhile, the others recovered from the crash into the building and watched in awe and horror as the Low-Class King continued to absolutely beat the thought-invincible dragon back into Yang.

**[Ravel]**

The dragon continued to scream in pain from the torture as Rias and her peerage and Ruby’s peerage just watched. Some of them had even turned away.

**[Raynare]**

“ ** _GGGUUUAAAHHHH-HAH-HAH!_** ”

Yang tried to ignore the cries of her other, just focusing on taking all hurt and pain and making it into her strength. It was her Semblance after all.

**[Penny]**

“I didn’t think… She could use it.” Rias whispered out as Ruby just kept using her Power of Suffering, even where there was clearly tearing her hand apart, making the dragon… no, _Yang_ scream more and more.

**[Raven]**

“Y-Yang…” Raven muttered out as she was frantically healed by Asia, worried for her daughter but knowing, somehow, that she would make it through this as she closed her eyes and slipping into blissful unconsciousness.

**[Blake]**

“Ruby! Stop!” Blake shouted to her leader, thinking that it was enough. But her words were ignored as Ruby kept making her sister suffer.

**[Weiss]**

“RUBY! PLEASE! STOP IT!” Weiss wept, seeing the pained expression in Ruby’s face as she kept going. She didn’t want this to go on any longer, but she could see that Yang still had a few golden scales on her skin.

**[Ruby’s suffering]**

“ ** _Please… stop… kill me…_** ” The thoroughly broken dragon quietly begged as another sword went through her head.

Yang just said nothing, the sheer amount of suffering she felt making speech impossible.

Meanwhile Ruby sat above a fully human and naked Yang, crying soaking her face as she reared back her fist, using the last of the Power of Suffering. “Please… stop…” Ruby whispered out before dealing the finishing blow.

**[Yang’s suffering]**

“Ruby! Stop!” Issei shouted out as he and Kiba pulled her off her unconscious sister, yet struggled against them. “She’s done! She’s back! You did it! Stop!” He frantically begged, trying to think of a way to stop her.

The Power of Suffering had fizzled out by this point. Right now, Ruby was just damaging her mess of a left hand needlessly.

“Yang… please… come back…” Ruby mumbled out as she kept going…

Until Issei managed to pull her off her sister and kissed her on the lips.

Suddenly, Ruby started to calm down before slumping in Issei’s arms. Unconscious.

“…I was going for a hug.” Issei muttered out as he touched his lips.

But that didn’t matter.

Finally… this fight was over.


	23. No More Heroes

I woke up with a gasp, blinded by unending light.

Where was I? Did something happen? Am I dreaming…?

“Well… that’s never happened before…” A voice? Someone was with me? Did I end up in the hospital or something? Everything just seems… blurry. My vision… my head… I can barely see or _feel_ , as if I was out of my body.

I felt confused, lost. I… It was difficult for me to recall how to speak, to form words. It took so much effort to remember what should’ve been ingrained in my brain for my entire life. I felt… so weak…

“Where… Where… Ugh…” I tried to say something but… something felt wrong about me. I didn’t know what I was feeling but… whatever I was feeling just didn’t feel natural. Am I lying down, or am I standing up? Someone tell me what’s happening to me!

“Ah, it seems the process has been successful.” The voice… I think it was feminine, said. She was talking to himself while I was trying to get my bearings straight. I think I was standing still, but at the same time I felt like was stumbling around, probably wrecking the room I was in. Disoriented, confused, just feeling wrong. “Miss, stay still and calm yourself. You are safe.”

Safe? Where? And… hold on, I’m a girl? Oh God, I can barely tell who I am because of… whatever happened to me. Did I get hit by a… heavy thing? What was it, that thing on about… a number of wheels carrying… stuff.

I felt a pair of hands hold me still, keeping me in place. The room I was in was sort of recognizable as a room to me now, and I could… vaguely see a pair of eyes. Okay, I’m getting myself together but my thoughts were still frayed, fractured and… something else that starts with F.

At least I’m starting to remember language again. Sounds that I can interoperate as communication between individuals. Come on, keep thinking and your brain will reorder itself in no time. Just keep asking simple questions and you’ll get through this.

“Where am I…?” I asked, questions and answers being my only grip on reality right now.

“A safe place to rest and recuperate.” That sounds like what a hospital should be, at least I think it is, but why aren’t you saying that I’m in a hospital? I feel a little sick… “Please, this is new to me too so please refrain from hurting yourself.”

“Am I hurt? What’s going on?” I asked my only source of information.

“You were and… look, you need to stay calm and gather yourself.” She ordered me. I couldn’t really argue, I felt too weak to, so I just breathe in and out for a minute or two as everything started to come into focus.

I was… in a room. A bedroom, but wow, it wasn’t a bedroom I’ve ever seen. Or remember. Bright white ceilings over my head that could reach the sky and on the ground… I was standing on clouds. Panic went through me, think I could fall at any second, but the cloud felt solid enough that it was stone.

“Where _exactly_ am I?” I questioned as I looked around, taking in my surroundings.

“You, Miss, are in Heaven.” The woman that I can now clearly see told me. “Specifically, you are in Zebel; Sixth Heaven. You’re currently in my quarters.”

“Heaven…?” I repeated as I processed this information my head, sitting on presumably her bed. “That… sounds a little familiar but…”

“Of course. Are you having trouble recalling your memories?” The woman, this beautiful blonde woman that I would love to fall in love with, asked me with concern in her voice.

“Y-Yes… A little… Did something happen to me?” I replied, not quite sure why this Heaven was so surreal.

“…Yes, something has happened to you.” The woman told me. “But first, we must introduce ourselves. I am Gabriel.”

“Hello, Gabriel. My name is…” I started before trailing off. “My… M-My name is… is…”

“Please, don’t strain yourself. You’re still recovering from the process.” Gabriel told me as she sat next to me. “Your memories have been sealed away for your own safety and wellbeing.”

“You sealed away my memories!?” I exclaimed, feeling angry and confused. My wellbeing? What gives you the right to take away something I should have? I’m having a freak out here!

“Please, stay calm, allow me to explain myself.” Gabriel told me as I regained my composure. “I will keep your memories safe, but please understand it’s important that you do not remember or else you will become catatonic again.”

“C-Catatonic?” I repeated in surprise. “What happened to me!?”

“You arrived here in a catatonic state, which happens here every once in a while in Heaven.” Gabriel explained. She then swallowed nervously and held my hand. “After all… some souls aren’t ready to die.”

“Okay, but what happened to me?” I asked for more information. Why is she skirting around the answers I seek?

“What I am trying to explain to you is that… You have died and gone to Heaven. Your soul arrived here in a catatonic state, so we had to remove your memories.” Gabriel finally explained to me, and those words hit my heart… no, pierced my soul like an arrow.

“I… I d-d-died…?” I managed to get out after a few minutes, just to let it sink in that I wasn’t dreaming. Even though I’ve forgotten a lot of things, dying was a concept I couldn’t forget. I started to hyperventilate, this wasn’t happening. No! This wasn’t happening!

She took away my memories and I don’t even know who I am anymore!? What kind of… uh… b-b-bubbles? Okay, I swear there was a word I could say now that would express my anger in some way.

“It’s okay, Miss. Let it all out.” Gabriel said as pulled me closer, her very presence comforting me.

But… I didn’t want to cry. It just… I didn’t know what to feel about this other than disbelief and curiousity.

“How… How did I die?” I asked morbidly. I didn’t think in my entire life that I would ask that question, though I’m sure everyone before and after me would agree with that sentiment.

“Your death was part of the memories we had to remove from you. You will receive them once I feel you are ready.” She whispered in my ear.

“…Thank you.” I said as I pulled her closer, surprising her. “Whatever they were… I think I’m they’re gone.” I honestly admitted.

“I didn’t do it. The angels on the lower levels did that.” Gabriel explained to me. “However… removing your memories were not enough. So they sent you to me to fully heal your soul.”

“But you mentioned a process earlier.” I pointed out. “You did something to me, er, my soul.”

“Yes, but not on purpose.” She replied. “You see… Normally, Seraphs like me usually have other duties, and they do not including guiding souls to a peaceful rest. However they found something special about your soul and well… you reacted to my power and have left you in a different state.”

“So… what?” I dumbly got out, not quite getting it. Gabriel couldn’t help but giggle at me before explaining.

“You see, your soul was fully human. However, there was a dormant part of your soul so I aimed to awaken it. But, I didn’t expect that part of your soul to be angelic so… I accidently transformed you into an Angel.” The... Seraph sheepishly admitted.

“…Excuse me?” I got out in disbelief. “I’m an Angel now?”

“Yes, and believe it or not you are the first new Angel in quite a while.” Gabriel replied with a sigh. “You still have the human part of your soul, so you are not a Pure Angel but rather a Reincarnated Angel.”

“This… This is a lot to take in, you know.” I said as I laid my back on the bed. “Can I… Can I be left alone for a while?”

“Of course, take all the time you need. I’ll return in a few hours so do not hesitate to make yourself comfortable.” Gabriel said as she stood up and walked to the door. “Once you’re ready, we will begin.”

Before I could even ask what she meant, she left me. God, I would love to feel her…

Her…

Her…

I can’t even remember the name of the body I’m attracted to! I think I remember other stuff but not her… thingy? Ugh, I hate not having all my memories! It sounds sssooo… dumb.

At least that word is intact. Thank you whoever ripped the precious memories out of my cold dead body!

…Oh, right. I’m dea-No, wait. Am I alive again since Gabriel told me that I’m an Angel now?

Well, since I have some time to kill, I may as well name myself.

So my name will… be…

I did not think this through.

You know what, let’s just go with Angel. That’s easy to remember.

Angel the Angel! Next Greatest Angel in Heaven!

…Nope. Nope, nope, nope. That sounds lame and now I am talking to myself in an empty room.

Maybe I’m better off without my memories.

So, after waiting with only myself to keep me entertained for what felt like a century (which probably is, I have no idea what time means in Heaven), Gabriel came back and told me to come with her. “Um, Gabriel, er… is something… I mean, I’m sorry, my brain is still kind of a mess.” I sighed out.

“It’s fine. I’m sure you are curious about what I meant about what I said earlier.” Gabriel said. God, I missed her voice! “I’m sorry for being vague but I just needed… confirmation.”

“Confirmation for what?” I asked, half-listening as I looked around this breathtaking world I was in.

“…Miss, I am going to offer you a choice: Would you like join the ranks of our Angels and work for God or stay here and rest in Heaven?” Gabriel offered me. “In exchange for working for us… we will provide you a mortal body and allow you to continue life among the living.”

…What? Work… for God?

“Now, your situation is… rather odd, but rest assured that whatever you choose will not be judged.” Gabriel told me, which snapped me out of my thoughts. “You do not have to decide now. I am willing to wait-“

“If I work for God, will I become strong enough to get back my memories?” I assumed. I didn’t care what my job would be as an Angel, I… want to see who I was before I died. I at least deserved that. “Then… I’ll give my next to Him.”

“…Very well.” Gabriel replied with a nod. “Now, here is some information you should know before we send you down to your new body. The body we have given is, rather unfortunately, a 13 year old girl. Her soul has already left the world and is here now and wishes to stay, but her body remains alive.”

That’s… rather sad. But I hope this girl will enjoy Heaven while I…

“Hold on, there’s something wrong here.” I spoke up with a concerned tone. “I… I’ll essentially be taking over her life. Give me her name and what happened.”

“Her name is Nanako Bara. Last week, she was shot in the head by a criminal, who should be in Hell now. I cannot reveal any more information than that. She has already granted permission to use her body.” Gabriel then stopped as she shook her head. “It’s rather tragic. Such a pure heart gone from that world too soon…” Gabriel answered with a sigh. _Nanako Bara…_

I’m not going to call myself that out of respect and it would just feel wrong.

I don’t wanna be someone else. I just want to be me.

Whoever that is.

“Do you still wish to join the ranks of our Angels?” Gabe (I’m gonna call her Gabe from now on) snapped me out of my thoughts again.

“…I already said I’ll do it, didn’t I?” I reminded as I drew upon the last few hours of information and thinking. “I am already an Angel after all and you said that I’m the first new Angel in a while. So I’m gonna do what I have to do.”

“Hm. Even without them, you still have that positive spirit you had in life.” Gabe muttered to herself and causing me to smile. “We will contact you for your training once you have gotten used to life once again.”

“Sure. And thanks for everything.” I thanked the beautiful woman. “I won’t let you or God down.”

“I’m sure you won’t. We’ll see you soon.” Gabe said with a smile as light started to edge into my vision while I felt something pulling me away.

I was being revived.

I promise... I won’t waste this new life I have.

I will become stronger to regain what I lost... even if I have to become a God to do so.

And the everything went black as I heard the faint sounds of a heartbeat monitor.

(Some time later...)

Day 62 as Nanako Bara.

A full two months since I was revived and given this new life.

When I woke up, Nanako’s sister was the first one to see me since she was there sitting next to the hospital bed. I didn’t feel well, and I kinda wished I stayed in Heaven as soon as the killer headache hit me but overall it felt... nice.

Of course, thanks to bullet and where it hit and stuff I was able to convince everyone that met me that I couldn’t recognise them. A few friends of Nanako visited me and promised they’ll make me remember and such.

Sadly, their friend was gone. But I gave them hope.

After I left the hospital two weeks later, we moved out of the country. The shreds of the United States of America I saw were nice but Nanako’s mother told me that it wasn’t safe for me there.

Maybe because of all the alien invasions, blue beams in the sky and weird people in skin-tight suits there. I read a lot of comic books on the plane based on these guys, along with fictional ones like **_Destroyman_** or **_The Cake Knight._**

Apparently, our true home was in the United Kingdom or Japan.

We chose the English speaking one.

Nanako didn’t have a dad. It was only me, Nanako’s sister (17 years old) and mother.

But... they were kind, they were happy that Nanako was alive. They only had each other after all and if they would’ve devastated if they knew.

So... I went along with it.

It was also Nanako’s birthday when we officially moved in so now I’m a 14 year old girl English-Japanese with the mind of someone who is (I assume) way older and a soul of an Angel.

That’s everything I managed to gather while I lived my life.

I wasn’t allowed to go to school just yet, my mum thinking that I’m still healing. In actuality, I was fully healed. The bandage wrapped around my forehead wasn’t even hiding a scar.

Thank you, God, for a really awesome healing factor.

Speaking of which, life on Earth as an Angel (or part-Angel to be more accurate) was a learning experience. I felt good in the day, full of energy and wanting to run instead of riding in a car. However, at night I felt weaker, wanting turn in early.

I had a lot of time on my hands so I started learning stuff Nanako did in life. Her mum told me that she used to sew so I spent some time doing that. Turns out I was kinda a natural at it, at best I can hide repaired holes but I with enough practice I can probably make my own clothes.

All the while praying at night giving my thanks to everyone that allowed me this chance and hoping Gabe would contact me to begin my training as an Angel soon. Overall, it wasn’t exactly the mostly first two months of this new life.

“Sis, your food’s getting cold.” Nanako’s sister, Makoto, told me. She was always worried about me since Nanako got shot. “Please, eat your lunch.”

“Sorry. Just lost in my head.” I replied as I ate my rice and steak. Could never use chopsticks so I stuck with the tried and true spoon and fork.

“You’re always lost in your head, huh sis?” Makoto muttered out, which was the truth. I was always thinking to keep myself together, my mind still cloudy even when I was healed completely. I guess when they removed the memories of my previous life they did a rough job with it.

“Sorry about that.” I apologized.

“Nah, it’s okay.” Makoto said off-handily. “Mum’s not coming home tonight. Said that she wants to work overtime. Your medical bills really ate into our savings.”

“Are you trying to guilt me?” I softly winced. The two story house, the paperwork to move, all that fun stuff must’ve really hit us hard. Especially for a single mother.

“No! Not at all, just... I’m glad you’re okay.” Nanako’s sister lamented as she leaned back on her chair. “When I saw you get... I thought... I thought...” She started to sob out.

“Makoto, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” I comforted. “If else, I just don’t want to be cooped up in the house anymore. I wanna go out and do stuff.”

“...Really? After what happened to you?” Makoto asked in disbelief.

“It’s better than doing nothing all day but read and sew!” I complained as I threw my utensils onto my plate. “I’m sssooo bored!”

“...Okay. Let’s go out tonight. Good timing too.” Makoto said with a sigh. I just looked confusingly at her.

“For dinner.” I asked.

“You could... say that.” Nanako’s sister answered. “I’ll show you the new stuff before we go out. Don’t worry sis, maybe a taste of home will jog your memory.”

“New stuff?” I got out.

I have a sinking feeling this won’t be for food.

(Some time later...)

This was definitely not food.

“U-Uh... Makoto, big sis... what are we doing?” I asked nervously as looked at the docks from across the street, standing onto top of an abandoned factory.

“Doing God’s work.” Makoto muttered as she looked through her binoculars. “Been tracking this special event for a while and the police have no idea. I’m just scouting the place out right now.”

“T-This is doing God’s work!?” I exclaimed.

I couldn’t believe it. I really should’ve figured it out sooner.

I can’t believe what was happening but right now we were... in costumes.

Like superheroes.

I wore black boots, cargo pants, an oversized turtle neck and motorcycle gloves. It was all taped down together with silver duct tape so I wouldn’t show any skin. Over it I wore a pure white open hoodie, not putting my arms through the sleeves and keeping it attached with a few baby pins on the back of my neck, with the hood up and over my helmet.

Oh right, my helmet.

It was essentially made of steel, a few centimetres thick with padding on the inside. The helmet on the outside was a glossy black with two white circles for eyes, which were made out of one-way glass. It was a little heavy to wear and I was worried about the lack of visible air holes, but with the combination of everything no one could tell who I am as long as I didn’t talk.

Makoto wore the same outfit, except with inverted colours, wearing a white long sleeve shirt with a large black shattered star on the front and the silver duct tape being exchanged for gold. For now, she had her helmet off to use her binoculars.

“I want to go home.” I deadpanned.

“Can’t. We’ve already been paid.” Makoto stated. Hold on, _paid!?_ “We can’t back out of this, plus we’re helping people. That’s why we do this.”

“...Do what?” I hesitantly questioned, although I had a good feeling that I knew what we’re about to do.

“Do our jobs.” Makoto replied as she dropped the binoculars. “They’re ready to receive the shipment. Hopefully, you can still use /Shion.”

“Slash Shion?” I asked as I glanced down at the silver tube strapped to my thigh. I had no idea what this /Shion is or how it worked... or even if I could fight.

Oh, I’m gonna die! But way too scared to run! Plus... I’m sure Nanako wants me to protect her sister.

God damn it! What am I doing!?

“Let’s go and keep quiet.” Makoto said as she jumped down from the rooftop we were on. I stayed there for a moment before following suit. We ran across the street and hid in the shadows. “How’s the helmet going for you? Is it too heavy?” She whispered to me, her voice muffled by her helmet. I just shook my head in response. “Good. I don’t want anything to happen to you like last time.”

What do you mean by that!?

“Ready for your first fight in a while?” Makoto asked me as she pulled out gold tube like mine. I just nodded dumbly as I did the same. I hope to God I get out of this alive. “Okay. We’ve seven guys and their boss on the docks, and another seven guys and their boss. Sixteen targets in total. Both run international criminal empires and are coming to meet up for an alliance or some shit, in exchange for rare drugs and money.  However, our client is someone from one of these organizations and wishes them dead.”

Language. And what!?

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” I scolded as I tried to figure out how this stupid tube is supposed to be my weapon.

“Wanted it to be a surprise. I know you loved these types of jobs.” Makoto replied. I swear I could see the smirk under her helmet as we saw the two bosses of differing criminal empires approach each other. “Alright, remember our policy: No innocents, no survivors. Now let’s slaughter these fuckheads.”

Language!

Wait, did she just say slaughter?

Without a word, Makoto activated her weapon. Suddenly, a curved blade made out of golden light shot out of the tube before she rolled out of the shadows, rushed up to the closest guy we could see...

And sliced him in half like it was nothing.

“ _MY SPLEEN!_ ” The unfortunate man screamed out as he cut down.

What the... Just what did I get myself into!?

“I knew this was a trap!” One of the bosses, let’s call him Mr. Moustache because of his curly moustache, growled as he pull a pistol and tried to shoot uh... Mr. Booze (He had a flask), who ducked out of the way and shot one of his henchmen instead. “Alright boys! Kill the bastards!”

“No you fucking idiot! Argh!” Mr. Booze shouted out in frustration. “Fuckin’ A! Men, kill ‘em all!”

Makoto barely paid attention as she sliced through one of Mr. Booze’s men.

Looking around as I saw two gangs kill each other and Makoto killing them all, I saw one of Mr. Booze’s men aim his at her back.

Oh, this was not good.

I ran out of the shadows and tackled him down, grabbing the gun and tossing away before he shoved me off him. “Ngh! So you’re with that white guy, aren’t ya.” The goon noted as he pulled out a katana. Where the hell did he get that from?! “Well, I’ll enjoy killing you.”

I stopped myself from squeaking in fear as I rolled to his side and performed a roundhouse kick to his legs, sweeping him off the ground before punching his face.

...That was way too natural to be comfortable with.

I snapped out of my musings as I used the inactive /Shion to block a strike from behind me, kicking him away before using the tube to whack the recovered bad guy in the head.

Way too natural.

As I tried to figure out how to turn on my weapon, Makoto was slaying people left and right, blood spraying everywhere as Mr. Booze and Mr. Moustache called in reinforcements.

So now there were thirty dudes we need to take care of.

To kill.

Oh God, save me!

I managed to stop myself from grunting in pain as I was kicked in my back and forced to the ground. I quickly rolled out of the way of what surely was a stab to my heart as stumbled back up. I looked at /Shion and shook it up and down.

Come on! Work! I need something other than my fists! I’m gonna die again!

Then, as if either God or my weapon heard my prayers, it activated. A... thing extended out of the tube, getting ready to be activated. I must’ve pressed a button or something but suddenly, a white beam came out of the tube.

What the heck!?

Suddenly, something clicked in my brain. The _blade_ is made by a tight loop of highly focused energy which runs from an emitter in the handle, along with an extractable frame, and into the receiver, appearing as a coloured bar, with mine being white.

Essentially, I have a sword made out of energy.

...I don’t how I figured that out, but I couldn’t care less.

“Shit! That’s a Beam Katana!” I heard one of the goons shout out... in fear.

“Both of them have one you idiot!” Mr, Moustache growled out. “They’re here to kill us all! Get them!”

Oh no.

“DIE YOU LITTLE SHIT!” I heard the guy I tackled roar out as he charged at me, forgoing his sword.

My body moved before my brain reacted.

I stabbed /Shion through his stomach, splattering blood onto my costume, pulled it out before slicing his head off. I barely had time to think about my first kill as I stabbed another behind me, left /Shion in his chest as grabbed his arm and flipped him over my shoulder with ease, pulling my weapon out to slice him in half to finish him off.

It was... a blur after that.

I... I just kept killing. Slicing heads, amputating limbs, cutting my enemies into pieces. Every corpse they threw at me or Makoto was put down.

Mr. Booze and Mr. Moustache threw tougher guys at us, forgetting about trying to kill each other and try and kill us. Big lugs, preferring to use their fists rather than weapons. I finished them in one blow.

Guys with SMGs came our way and fired at us, but Makoto and I blocked each and every bullet fired at us and bisected them in unison.

We kept killing and killing until... it was only the bosses left.

“You... You killed my entire army!” Mr. Moustache shouted out at us. But our blank helmets and our silent response only made him madder. “You think there won’t be consequences to this!? If I die, my men will hunt you down until the day you die!”

Makoto only looked at me. I had a feeling that she knew that it wouldn’t matter or didn’t care.

Because in the middle of his rant, Makoto sliced him from the crotch to his head.

Makoto tilted her head, signalling me to finish off Mr. Booze.

I silently agreed, adrenaline still rushing through my body as I walked up to this scum of a human being. He looked angry, defiant, not willing to die without a fight.

I wouldn’t let him.

I aimed my Beam Katana at his face, ready to finish the job.

“...You think you’re noble, aren’t you? Playing with toys and thinking you’re hot shit, isn’t that right?” Mr. Booze spat out. “Well, little children, I’ll show you what happens when you play with the big boys.”

He then disappeared.

That wasn’t good.

He reappeared in front of Makoto, punching her straight in the face. She recovered quickly, though, a guarded against the attacks from behind, from her side before diving out of the way of an overhead strike.

“Well, huh!? Think you can stop me those toys, _Angels of Death_!” Mr. Booze taunted as I helped Makoto up.

Angels... of Death...?

I could see Makoto flinch at the name.

“Yeah... I know who you two are. Rank 13 and 14.” Mr. Booze said as we silently watched him. Ranks? What is he talking about? “Didn’t think you’d be operating outside of that hellhole.”

Makoto growled. She must have really loved home... but loved Nanako and her safety more.

But not enough to stop doing this.

Seriously, I wanna know what was happening but now I’m way too scared to know.

“Nothing to say, huh? Of course.” Mr. Booze said as he took a swig of his flask.

Makoto tapped my shoulder before tapping in the side of her helmet, on her left ear.

I quickly got what she was meaning and I tapped the button where my left ear should be.

Suddenly, something appeared in front of my eyes.

**[Now Playing... It’s kill or be killed --- Taku Yoshioka]**

...Battle music?

Really?

_“Nanako, it’s kill or be killed!”_

**GO!**

Oh.

Without hesitation, we rushed towards him.

He teleported out of the way of our attacks and to the side as rolled out of the way of a charge that would’ve taken both of us out. Seeing that he was vulnerable, Makoto went for it and tried to slash him to pieces.

However, he knew this and rolled away at the last second, chuckling as Makoto almost fell off the docks before-

MAKOTO!

It was too late as two energy blades extended out of Mr. Booze’s wrists and slashed Makoto’s spine. She almost screamed as she stumbled around in pain before collapsing onto the floor. I jumped in that moment, and tried to slice his head off, but he blocked it before pushing me away.

I couldn’t think of anything so I just ran at him and wildly attacked him, but he kept blocking every swing without a sweat. I was losing myself to my emotions, this fire in my heart roaring to stop him.

I kept attacking and attacking and attacking...

And then my Beam Katana shut off.

Before I could react to my sword _running out of batteries_...

He stabbed me in the stomach and my chest.

That... wasn’t good...

“NO!” Makoto cried out as he slipped me... off his wrist blades...

My senses... were fading...

Am I... dying again?

 “B-Bastard!” I heard Makoto growl out before I hear her choking. He lifted her off the ground by her neck, ready to end her life.

“Say goodbye!” Mr. Booze shouted out.

He was going to kill Makoto.

Kill Nanako’s sister.

Kill...

Kill...

_Not again...!_

_Please... I can’t die...!_

**[Now Playing... Sub Crazy --- MARU, HONDALADY]**

Something in me... just snapped.

My beam katana ignited as my pain started to fade away.

I felt... felt... good.

I felt _really_ good.

This feeling...

This pleasurable feeling...!

Oh, I’m in **_ecstasy!_**

At speeds I didn’t even know I could reach, I attacked.

I sliced him. Diced him. Cut his testicles. Cut his throat. Severed the arm holding Makoto. Sliced his penis. Slashed his back. Stabbed him in the eye. Stabbed him in the other eye. Sliced his jaw off. Stuffed his jaw into his eye hole. Decapitated him. Amputated his limbs.

“N-Nanako...” I heard Makoto get out in awe of this feat.

“You’re! A! PAIN!” I shouted out as twirled /Shion around...

**_SLASH!_ **

And made Mr. Booze fall to pieces.

And then I snapped back into reality.

“Wh-What was...” I muttered to myself as I looked myself and Makoto. Our once clean costumes were soaked in blood, and mine had two holes in it where Mr. Booze stabbed me.

“Are... Are you alright, Nanako?” Makoto asked as she got up and checked my injured. I noticed the large gash along her back. I should be asking that question.

“I’m... I’m fine...” I breathed out as we looked at our... slaughter.

There was heads and limbs littering the area, blood staining it and the ocean around the docks. It looked like something from a horror movie.

“Oh, I miss home... Good work, though you could use a little refresher.” Makoto chuckled out as I just stayed silent.

They were bad guys and I did good but I... I...

What kind of world did I end up in?

I looked it up as soon as we snuck back into the house.

I searched the various documents stored away in the filing cabinet, which should’ve been forgotten a long time ago if I hadn’t searched for it.

My home town was Santa Destroy and Nanako had a job. The number one most popular occupation there.

Makoto is an assassin... Nanako was an assassin... and from now on...

I guess I’m an assassin too.

But those thoughts... that was over a decade ago.

Because these days, I’m what you’d call...

A Guardian Angel.


	24. A Simple Aftermath

‘Where... am I...?’ Ruby thought as she opened her eyes. Everything ached as her mind returned to her, now able to register that she lying down on a soft bed. She thought she was back at the apartment, or maybe even back home in Remnant, but she didn’t recognise where she was. ‘An unfamiliar ceiling...’

“Ruby-san? Ruby-san!” A familiar voice called out to her as she heard footsteps coming towards her. It took her a bit to remember who it was.

“A-Asia...?” Ruby groaned as she sat up. She realised she couldn’t move one of her arms and looked down at herself. She was in her pyjamas. Her left arm covered in bandages, her right was in a cast as well as her right leg. She could also feel bandages on each of her cheeks and her forehead.

All in all, she was seriously messed up.

Ruby winced in pain as she felt Asia pull her into a tight hug. “R-Ruby-san! I was... I was so worried...! Y-You... Your heart stopped for so long... And after that you didn’t wake up for days... I thought... I thought you were...” Asia blubbered out as her tears soaked Ruby’s bandages.

“A-Asia! Let go! Owowow!” Ruby squeaked out. The Bishop of Gremory blushed before letting go of one of her first friends.

“S-Sorry, Ruby-san. I’m just... so happy...!” Asia sobbed out as she wiped away her tears, only for new tears to run down her face.

“Please, Asia. I can’t stand to see you cry. I’m okay.” Ruby comforted as she patted Asia’s head. “Thank you.”

“Ruby-san...” Asia whispered out before smiling brightly. She was just happy that Ruby was alive and well.

“So, where are we? And where’s everyone?” Ruby asked as she looked around to see if she recognised the place.

“Oh. We’re at Issei-san’s house.” Asia answered, which only made Ruby confused.

“Excuse me?” Ruby deadpanned. “Um... I’ve been here a couple of times but I don’t recognise this room...”

“That’s because Rias-buchou moved in afterwards and let everyone stay here for the time. She turned the Issei-san’s house into a mansion just to fit everyone!” Asia happily revealed.

“Oh. That’s really-wait, what?” Ruby coughed out in surprise. “What the... Do Issei’s parents know about us being Devils? Wait, why did Rias move in with _Issei_!?”

“Well... Buchou may have hypnotised them to think they always lived in a mansion...” Asia awkwardly answered. “And... Rias-buchou... I think she’s in love with him...” She then said as a blush appeared on her face.

“...What.” Ruby said flatly.

“B-But I won’t let her be Issei-san’s one and only! I-I’ll have to... I’ll have to take his v-v-v- _purity_ before her!” Asia shakily declared. “O-Of course, I don’t want R-R-Rias-buchou to be sad. A-At this rate p-p-p-p-polygamy is the only option... b-b-b-but, but... it will be against the teachings of God... but, but at this rate... hauu..." Asia talked to herself as her face became redder and redder.

“...What the hell happened while I was out!?” Ruby exclaimed, unable to comprehend what was happening. She couldn’t believe it. Not in her life she would expect that Issei’s dream might be a reality.

Well, at least they were happy.

“Um... but why his, er, _purity_?” Ruby nervously asked, not exactly expecting Asia to declare that she wants to take his virginity first.

Asia entire body became red as she remembered what had happened a few days ago. Admittingly, she was jealous of Ruby and she was pretty sure Rias was too. Taking a first kiss was an important thing in Japan but they managed to convince themselves that it didn’t count.

At least, they hoped it didn’t count.

“O-Oh... er... well, I wanna go and find everyone.” Ruby quickly changed subjects, seeing that Asia didn’t want to talk about it. Asia had to hold back a sigh of relief as she realised Ruby had no memory of her kiss with Issei and hopefully it will stay that way until they die. “Uh, do you have a wheelchair here?”

“Actually, I think you’re in a good enough condition to walk. Here, let me take off those bandages. And... We need you to do something before we look for Buchou-san.” Asia said as she pulled out a pair of scissors. After a while, Ruby was free from her casts and her bandages were thrown away. She felt like she was at 100%. The only pain she felt were the aches in her joints, which were from lying in bed doing nothing.

“So, what do you need me to do? I need to talk to Rias about... stuff.” Ruby asked as she stretched her limbs.

“...Follow me.” Asia replied as they walked out of the room, ready to deal with the aftermath of the past few weeks.

(A few minutes later...)

‘I... am a monster.’ Yang thought as she laid in bed, wearing only a white shirt and yellow panties. She woke up yesterday, screaming in pain as the memories of what she had to endure came back. Rias and Pancakes had to restrain her and take those memories out before she did any damage to anyone, anything and herself.

However, it was impossible to remove any evidence of her dragon side unleashing and causing so much chaos and death.

They quietly left her alone to sort things out for herself. Yang quickly fell into a depression as she realised what she had done. She lost control, she let the monster within take over... she killed people.

That was the thing caused her depression: She killed people. Innocent people. Destroyed lives and caused so much suffering. She was supposed to be a protector! A hero! A light in the darkness.

And yet, here she is... a monster in human form.

She was worse than the Grimm, than Raiser, that weird midget bitch. She was worse than anyone else she fought.

“...I should just die.” Yang sniffled out. It was the only way to stop the dragon truly. She could feel that she was still inside... sleeping... healing... waiting to corrupt her once again.

“You know that’s not the answer.” An unfamiliar yet also familiar voice said as she heard the door open. She sat up to see who it was, only for a flash of anger to rush through her body.

It was _her_.

“RAVEN!” Yang roared out as she quickly got up and charged at her, pulling back her fist to sock the bitch in the face...

But then, she stopped at the last second, restraining her anger before she could go into a rampage.

“You don’t forgive me, do you?” Raven sighed out, pushing the fist away from her face.

“Why are you here?” Yang growled as she and her “mother” sat down on the bed together.

“To apologize, partner.” Raven answered. “...You don’t remember our time together, right?”

“Not a single thing. As Yang or as the dragon.” Yang replied, glaring at her with red eyes. “I hate you... so much. I can’t explain how much I want to blow your head off right now.”

“Figured as much.” Raven mumbled out. “...You know, when I... I stupidly put on Bloodlust all those years back... We hated each other. You-I mean, the dragon would yell at me constantly and I would just try and figure out ways to take Bloodlust off. But then... something happened. I went back to that temple and saw all the stories about the dragon. About how she was the walking apocalypse and how much death and destruction she caused. You know what happened?”

“What? Where are you going with this!?” Yang seethed, smoke coming out of nose.

“The dragon cried.” Raven replied, causing Yang’s anger to die down. “She... She didn’t realise what she was doing that entire time, only doing what she loved. She was born to cause death. But once she saw the suffering she caused... she wanted to forget... to start again. But... she couldn’t. No matter how hard she tried, even when she was sealed into Bloodlust, she couldn’t. She wanted to die, but the Gods... they wouldn’t let her even when she let her body become Remnant.”

“The dragon’s body... became Remnant?” Yang whispered out.

“It was her last act. She wanted to create life rather than destroy it, so she... tore a hole in space, found a planet that was covered in water and... drowned herself.” Raven explained. “And yet, it wasn’t enough. Her punishment was to live with the guilt for eternity, and I was her prison warden. So... I made a promise to her.”

“...What’s this promise?” Yang asked in a low voice. In response, Raven pulled up her shirt and revealed tattoo on her abdomen, right where her womb should be.

“I promised... that I would give her the rebirth she wanted and stay with her until I die.” Raven answered. “I spent years of my life looking up rituals and spells and all that stuff... and finally, I did. The ritual I found allowed me to transfer a soul, your soul, into my next of kin. The _problem_ was, if you did it wrong the soul won’t remember its previous life. And of course, I would lose Bloodlust. You can see how this is going.”

“...Please don’t tell me you had sex with dad while surrounded by skulls and shit.” Yang cringed as the image got into her head.

“No! Nononono! The ritual would only work only if both parties orgas-“ Raven tried to explain herself.

“Shutupshutupshutup!” Yang frantically shrieked as she shook her head to stop her imagination from picturing the scene. After calming down, Yang had two questions to ask. “...Did you love dad? Why did you run away?”

“...I loved your father. But... I didn’t he love me back.” Raven admitted as Summer Rose came to mind. “He... He cheated on me with Summer.”

“What?” Yang gasped out in disbelief, not being able to imagine that Taiyang and the greatest mother in Remnant would do such a thing.

“Yeah. That was basically my reaction.” Raven sighed out as the memory of Summer and Taiyang having sex on the couch came back. “I saw them one day when I came back earlier than expected... They didn’t know I was there the entire time... watching. And that was the day before the day of the ritual. So, once you were born... I ran. I ran as far away as I could.”

“Dad...” Yang got out, still in disbelief. “Why did stay with him? Why didn’t you tell dad?”

“Because... I couldn’t bring myself to hate him and leave.” Raven admitted. “He was still a great person and a loving husband just... he fell into lust and couldn’t climb back out. So I never said anything and left without seeing him again.”

‘And I got off to it too.’ Raven mentally added with a blush. It hurt _so good_.

“So where were you all this time?” Yang asked.

“Tokyo.” Raven casually answered, which caused Yang to cough. “Mostly lived in Kamurocho before going back and leading the Branwen Bandit tribe two years ago.”

“E-Excuse me, did you say Tokyo!? As in **Japan**!? As in **_EARTH_**!?” Yang blurted out. “You _left_ Remnant!?”

“I said as far away as I could.” Raven reminded, ignoring the fact that Yang was more surprised that Raven knew of Earth’s existence for several years. Could it be the dragon that told her. “I learned Japanese while I was there and I even met this man. Real mean-looking, he was even part of a criminal organisation but had his heart in the right place. He could fight and probably beat most Huntsmen and Huntresses in a fist fight, he even had Aura! And fought armies of idiots thinking they could take us on, hung out and sang together at karaoke and even got into Pocket Circuit Racing together and...” She started gushing before sighing sadly. “Then he... disappeared. I know he went to jail a few times before but then... he just disappeared without a trace. Nothing but a note telling me that I would get burned if I tried to find him.”

“...You loved him.” Yang realized.

“Even more than your father. And that’s why I came back to Remnant.” Raven sighed out once again. “...I bet he could take you down easily.”

“Tch. He can try.” Yang chuckled out before asking one more question. “...Are you going to leave again?”

“...No. Never again.” Raven answered as she looked down at the ground. “I’m done running away. Besides... I still have a promise I have to fulfil.”

“Raven...” Yang whispered out before shaking her head. “...Look, I won’t forgive you. Despite what dad did, you still ran away when I needed you most. You should’ve at least been there for me, for mum. Uncle Qrow at least. But... despite all that, I’m willing to try.”

“...Thanks, my Little Dragon.” Raven smiled as she kissed her daughter’s forehead. “Thank you, because things would really be awkward if-“ She then quickly shut her mouth.

“Hm? What would be awkward?” Yang asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Er... Well, um... ah...!” Raven tried to figure out a lie before she sneezed...

Causing the Devil wings she now had to rip out of her shirt.

“...Please tell me Rias reincarnated you.” Yang deadpanned.

“Nope. I... Well, I was kinda in a coma thanks to all the blood loss and it was likely I wasn’t going to wake up and your sister didn’t want me to leave so um...” Raven chuckled out nervously. “I’ll reintroduce myself. My name is Raven Branwen and I am a Devil. I live to serve as a Pawn of Ruby Rose.”

There a silence between them as the atmosphere became awkward.

“...Why are you worth one Pawn?” Yang asked out of all questions that were running through her head.

“I think I heard something called a Mutation Piece when I woke up...” Raven mumbled out. “Anyway, we better get going. Put on some pants and follow me.”

“Wait, hold on!” Yang called out as she searched the room. “Ugh, I’m either gonna kill Ruby or hug her to death.” She mumbled to herself as she put on some shorts before noticing something strange. “...Where are my fingernails!?” She then looked down at her feet. “What the fuck!? I don’t have nails anymore!?”

“You should probably stop wearing fingerless gloves.” Raven suggested as she walked out of the room, leaving Yang alone once more.

“...I am not a monster.” Yang stated in determination as she summoned Bloodlust. “I am Yang Xiao Long after all.” She added with a devilish smirk.

(Meanwhile...)

“I still can’t believe you just... let us die...” Ruby mumbled out before taking a sip of her hot chocolate while Rias poured herself another cup of green tea. They were currently in Rias’ new room. There were still boxes that needed unpacking around the place.

“I was desperate. I knew that my family was going to marry me off to Raiser sooner than expected and... I convinced myself that if I married Raiser, everyone in my peerage would suffer too.” Rias explained as she absentmindedly twirled her long crimson hair. “But... that’s no excuse. And I know that now. I don’t think an apology would suffice in any case, but still I’m so sorry I dragged you, Issei and everyone into this.”

“Nah, it’s fine.” Ruby replied off-handily, smiling the entire time. “Sure, you could’ve just asked us but I like helping people. Everyone’s happiness is important to me. So at the end, as long as everyone has their happy ending I’ll be fine.”

“You know, your optimism and forgiving nature always seems to amaze me.” Rias giggled out. “But, I still feel like I have to make it up for letting you, Weiss, Blake, Yang and Issei die.”

“Well, even my forgiving nature has its limits.” Ruby stated in a sweet tone, causing Rias to stop smiling. “In actuality, I’m so angry that my face cannot express how much I want to punch your pretty little face in so it loops right back into happiness.”

“What.” Rias got out.

“Oh, by the way, my entire peerage is right outside the door listening to every single thing you just told me. Everything from the ‘Letting us die’ thing to... well, it won’t matter soon.” Ruby said, still in her happy, sweet tone. “Any last words before they kick your teeth in? Including Yang?”

“...Am I going to die?” Rias asked in a dull tone.

“No. They’re just going to leave you broken and battered on the ground. Nothing Asia can’t fix. Nothing permanent.” Ruby answered.

“Okay. Send ‘em in.” Rias said casually.

“Wonderful!” Ruby chirped as she walked over to the door and opened it, revealing her _very_ pissed off peerage. “Have at her, girls!”

“ **YOU’RE GONNA DIE, BITCH!** ” Yang roared out as she tackled the King to the ground with Ember Celica ready for action.

“Remember, don’t shave her head too!” Ruby called out as she walked out of the room.

“Oh, we do much worse.” Weiss growled through gritted teeth before shutting the door to muffle Rias’ screams of pain and agony.

Ruby, satisfied that little issue was taken care of, skipped down the hall. She stopped when she saw Issei running towards the screams. “Ruby, what’s happening!?” Issei exclaimed.

“Oh, that’s just a movie Rias is watching. Maybe you should join her.” Ruby lied.

“Okay! Here I come, Buchou!” Issei declared as he heroically ran down the hall, not knowing he would be joining the beatdown very soon.

‘That’s for that _Share_ thing!’ Ruby thought, still smiling as she continued skipping down the hall.

(A few days later...)

“ _Sunao ni I LOVE YOU! Todokeyou kitto YOU LOVE ME! Tsutawaru sa kimi ni niau garasu no kutsu wo sagasou~_ ” Raven sang out drunkenly. It had been several days since the engagement party and life was good.

Of course, the marriage between the Gremory and Phoenix households was cancelled. Raiser went into a slump after experiencing his first real loss. Eventually, the RWBY Apartment was repaired quickly thanks to some Devils who wanted to thank the Dragon That Slew The Phoenix and the Rose That Slew The Dragon and Ruby’s peerage moved back in. Issei was enjoying the fact that Rias and Akeno had to do some really erotic things to decrease the power of the dragon in his arm and return it back to normal, as well as enjoying his time with Rias and Asia back at home. Yang and Raven were bonding while Yang planned to control the dragon within. Rias then declared that she couldn’t teach Ruby anything else, so she convinced Sona Sitri to let Ruby have a clubroom in the old school building. Officially, Ruby was now President of...

Well, that was still being decided upon but it didn’t matter right now. Ruby was officially recognised as a King thanks to Sirzechs. She was still a Low-Class, but she was willing to put in the work.

And right now, they were having a party at a local karaoke bar to relax and celebrate that they were alive after the Hell that was the past few weeks.

“I really don’t think we should be consuming alcohol.” Weiss said as she stared at Raven stumbling around, drunkenly singing songs.

“Hey, we’re Devils. The rules of human society don’t apply to us.” Rias replied as she took a swig of wine. “Besides, I’m sure you did some wine tasting back in Remnant.”

“Wine _and_ cheese.” Weiss sighed out as finished her glass of vodka. “At least thanks to being Devils, we have a higher alcohol tolerance before it begins to affect us.”

“Except Raven-san.” Akeno pointed out, who moved onto telling Yang all about how hot and how frequently she had sex Taiyang... and Summer in their Beacon days. Yang was understandably uncomfortable and was downing booze to get drunk enough to not remember this night.

“Looks like it’s your turn Weiss!” Ruby grinned, piles of soda cans around her. “Come on, you keep bragging about your singing career. Show me that you have bite!”

“I don’t brag! And I can sing, thank you very much!” Weiss called out as she got up.

“I’ve heard her in the shower. She’s actually pretty good.” Blake admitted, continuing to read her book.

“Hey, Issei-kun! Why don’t we sing a duet after Schnee-chan?” Kiba offered kindly.

“NOT IN YOUR EFFING LIFETIME!” Issei shouted out, unable to move his arms and legs since Rias and Asia were hugging his arms and Akeno was on his lap. Ruby couldn’t help but giggle at the sight. He really did look like a Harem King.

“Oh come on, Ise-kun. It’ll be fun.” Rias whispered into his ear. “If you do it, I’ll do something special for you once we get home.”

“A-Anything for you, Buchou!” Issei dumbly proclaimed.

“I-I’ll wash your back!” Asia quickly declared. “O-Once we get home too!”

“R-Really!? Awesome!” Issei cheered as Akeno got off the pervert and giggled at his antics and because she could feel his boner poking the side of her skull.

“ _Blue skies and beckoning winds... are trying to open the door of your heart. But you're gazing at me as if you cannot see; you just stand there, smiling vacantly. Your eyes hold such innocence; you're blind to the fate that will soon come to pass. But it's summoning you with a touch like a sigh; you seek it without knowing why~_ ” Weiss sang out, moving to the music.

“Woo! Go Weiss!” Ruby cheered on her partner.

“Yes! As you meatbags say: Sing like your life depends on it!” Penny called out.

“...What is a meatbag?” Pancakes asked as Koneko quietly shifted away from the two.

“Shut up! _Stay true to this and don't betray your memory! Come now, reach out - you must embrace reality! Rise up, young boy, and make yourself a legend!~_ ” Weiss continued to sing, hoping to get a good score.

“Hey, if Issei and Kiba are doing a duet, why don’t we do one Rias after them?” Ruby asked.

“Yeah, that’ll be fun.” Rias replied with a nod.

“And then took the cucumber, and put tons of whipped cream and chocolate and sprinkles before we got the next one...” Raven drunkenly continued her mentally-scarring stories.

“WHY ISN’T IT WORKING!?” Yang cried out as she kept drinking more and more.

After Weiss got herself a perfect score (because of course she did), Issei and Kiba went up and sang _Accept My Shaft_ before Rias and Ruby went up to sing their song.

“Hey, thank you.” Ruby said suddenly, confusing Rias as she was in the middle of searching for a song.

“What? Why?” Rias questioned as she found something appropriate for them to sing.

“For giving me strength.” Ruby answered as the song started to play.

And throughout the night, the party continued until everyone had passed out as if it was their last day on Earth.

And for some... it was.

_“Intersecting lines meet in the distance as the sky calls out. A trembling voice dances underneath the cross~”_

_“Because you won't show your weakness, accept the wind, shake it off and move forward~”_

_“Release your impulses. Run and gather your will. I will not forget those eyes. Memories sway, DrawxDelete. Tomorrow will replace the present. Still, the light of reincarnation gently touches my rouge cheeks~”_

(The next day...)

“You’re really leaving, huh?” Issei sadly sighed out, seeing Ruby and her peerage move their luggage into the boat. They had been planning to leave ever since everyone had recovered from the engagement party incident. After all, they had to go home at some point and now it was good time to do it. “I’m gonna miss you guys.”

“I’m gonna miss you too, Issei.” Ruby said before hugging him, seeing Rias and her peerage wave good-bye. Issei couldn’t help but enjoy the large pair of breasts pressing against his chest. “I promise, I’ll try and visit when I can.”

“You better.” Issei sadly chuckled out. “Good-bye, Ruby.” He whispered out, tears starting to well up in his eyes.

“Yeah. I’ll see you soon.” Ruby replied as she wiped her tears on Issei’s shoulders.

“Come on, Ruby! The boat’s leaving soon!” Yang called from the boat.

“Yeah, I’m coming!” Ruby shouted back as she ran to the boat. “Good-bye everyone!” She called out as everyone from her peerage waved back at Rias’.

“Good luck at the tournament!” Rias smiled as the boat left port, eventually disappearing into the distance.

“...They’re gone.” Akeno muttered out.

“Ruby-san, everyone...” Asia sobbed out as she blew her nose into her handkerchief.

“I hope they win that tournament. It’ll be a nice story to tell when they come back.” Kiba stated.

“...Yes.” Koneko simply said as she ate her tuna sandwich.

“Man, I miss them already.” Issei admitted. “I mean, I wanna see their world so bad. I wanna see what type of girls they have there!”

“Yeah. It would be nice to see their home. They got to see our world, it’s only common courtesy to see theirs.” Rias sighed out. “But I guess it’s not meant to be.”

“Rias, please stop lying to us. We all know that Ruby is getting Weiss to teleport us to the boat. Why do you think we have our luggage here?” Akeno casually revealed in a happy tone as she pointed at the pile of luggage right behind them.

“Wait, what?” Issei got out in surprise. He thought it was more strength and stamina training!

The next thing they knew was that they were on the boat, heading to Remnant.

Unaware of the chaos that cause upon the world.

“This is gonna be fun!” Ruby beamed as she looked out at the open sea, with Yang joining her to look at the view and be with her baby sister.

“You know, nothing is gonna be the same once we get there.” Yang pointed out. “I mean...”

“Hey, don’t worry Yang. As team leader and King, I won’t let anything happen!” Ruby proudly declared. “We’re Team RWBY! We’re Devils! We’re coming home and we’re-“

**_SLAM!_ **

“Being... interrogated.” Ruby weakly finished.

And thus, a whole new adventure had begun!


	25. A Simple Status Quo

“Okay, maybe going AWOL was a bad idea.” Yang mumbled out before blowing a strand of hair out of her face.

Their first step into Vale since coming back to Remnant from Japan was... rather eventful. They didn’t know what happened but someone must’ve recognised them and called Beacon or something. It was kind of a blur, with all the tear gas and all but the eventually found themselves in the local police station’s interrogation room, cuffed with their hands behind their backs, their weapons confiscated and their Semblances suppressed by a special machine installed in the room.

They had no idea where everyone else was. Raven was more than likely getting Rias, Pancakes and the rest to a safe location, hopefully to wait it out until the situation is resolved.

“Dad’s gonna kill us. Dad is so gonna kill us.” Ruby whimpered, feeling quite empty with one of her scy-ifles on her.

“I’m sorry, but our parents are the _least of our worries!_ ” Weiss shouted out in between panicked sobs. “We’re going to jail, we’re gonna go to jail for the rest of our lives!”

“Calm down.” Blake told the Heiress. “They’re probably just going to question why we were away longer than necessary. All we need to do is stay calm, tell what happened and then hope for the best.”

“Blake, we can’t tell them about-“ Yang started only for the former Faunus to tilt her head towards a corner in the ceiling. Yang looked and saw it was a security camera, hidden in the shadows of the room. There was probably a microphone on it too. “Oh, okay. I get it. Princess, just follow Blake’s lead. She’s got this.”

After several more minutes of waiting, listening to only Weiss’ eventually fading sobs, a familiar face entered the room.

“Pr-Professor Ozpin. Hi!” Ruby nervously greeted as the Headmaster as well as Professor Goodwitch. “So... How’s-“

“Miss Rose, be quiet.” Glynda interrupted harshly, causing Ruby to wince as her head drooped down. This was not going to be the same as the robbery. “I would like to remind you all that all of you are in a great deal of trouble. Not only did you go missing after the date we specified you would return, but also possessed illegal weapons and modifications and destroyed the provided apartment building. As well as risking the discovery of Remnant to Earth.”

The RWBYs noted that Glynda didn’t mention bringing along people from Earth. That would’ve gotten them deeper into trouble.

“Now, now. I’m sure they have good reasons to do as such.” Ozpin said as he sat down. “I know Team RWBY would never do such things without good reason.”

“But sir, this is not something that can be excused! I’m sorry, but I request the immediate expulsion of Team RWBY from Beacon!” Glynda stated, causing Ruby to panic. No, they can’t get expelled! That would mean they could never become Huntresses.

And to that statement, they all began to speak their thoughts about that decision.

“No, wait!” Yang called out, her eyes flashing red before restraining herself.

“I don’t wanna go back to father... I don’t want to...” Weiss began to hyperventilate.

“Everyone. Calm down.” Blake stated. This was still a salvageable situation, they just had to choose the right words.

“Please! We can explain!” Ruby begged, close to tears. This wasn’t happening, she wouldn’t allow it!

“Can you?” Ozpin spoke up after taking a sip of his coffee. “Because if you cannot, I’m afraid that I must allow Miss Goodwitch here to go through with your expulsions.”

The RWBYs quickly went silent before they all looked at each other.

This was their only chance to prevent their expulsions.

Ruby, Weiss and Yang all turned their gazes to Blake, who already had a plan in mind.

“...We were... We were experimented on.” Blake sighed out, acting as if she was bringing up bad memories.

The others quickly caught on and winced at the false, horrible memories they possessed.

“Experimented on?” Ozpin repeated as he leaned forward.

“We... We found the source of all those strange occurrences. Black winged people. Where one’s wishes come true. We found the location where it was all happening, deep underground. We went in and... we ended up getting captured.” Blake explained. “They tortured us. Changed us into... something else.”

“What do you mean?” Goodwitch asked, looking rather skeptical. That cued the first Bishop of Ruby’s peerage to do something.

“ _Dispel_.” Weiss whispered out, barely audible to human ears as she broke Akeno’s illusion, which she had set up prior to arriving.

Glynda suddenly quietly gasped as she saw the illusion melt away. To her, Ruby went from the innocent 15 year old she was known for since she came to Beacon to a 17 year old who was looked much hotter than her older half-sister.

Glynda then panicked a little when she thought that.

“...Your scar is gone.” Ozpin noted as Weiss looked away from the Headmaster.

“We got stronger, faster, we could heal from surely fatal injuries. Even the deepest scars are nothing but a memory.” Blake continued. “And... they... they turned me into a Faunus...” She then brought out her whiskers and tail, just to sell it more.

“...Japan does have an obsession with cat Faunus-like characters...” Ozpin muttered out.

“And... gave us these.” Ruby added as they all simultaneously brought out their Devil wings. “And we used all of these new powers to destroy them all.” She said darkly, her silver eyes glowing slightly.

Ozpin and Glynda just glanced at each other. The young Huntress-in-Training had the eyes of a veteran Hunter. That wasn’t something you can fake.

“Is this why you stayed on Earth?” Glynda questioned.

“We were afraid that people would hunt us down. Like Grimm.” Yang stated. “So... we stayed.”

“And why did you come back?” Ozpin asked.

“Er... we ran out of money...?” Weiss chuckled nervously while Yang resisted the urge to face palm.

“Um, yeah, and we still have friends and family here.” Ruby added in. “And... to some of them, we’re all they have left.” She sighed out, the image of Taiyang appearing in her mind.

The room fell into silence as Ozpin and Glynda processed this new (false) information while the RWBYs anxiously hoped that they bought that crap.

Finally, after a minute or two of contemplating, Ozpin knew what he had to do.

“...I see.” The Headmaster said as he finished his cup. “It seems to me you have gone through much during your mission on Earth. I feel sorry for sending you there in the first place.”

“It’s... It’s okay.” Ruby had to suppress the urge to sigh in relief along with her teammates. “We did our mission in the end, didn’t we?”

“So... are we free to go?” Weiss had to ask, hope in her voice.

“I don’t see a reason not to.” Ozpin replied. “However, I cannot allow you to participate in the Vytal Festival Tournament.”

“WHAT!?” The RWBYs exclaimed.

“But... it was going to be our first tournament.” Ruby whispered out in a depressed tone.

“Yes, I know and I am sorry for this, but your... modifications may have affected your health. It may not be apparent now but it could have long-term consequences or delayed symptoms. Team RWBY must attend a weekly check up at the school infirmary, no exceptions. See it as punishment for destroying the apartment as that cannot be explained by your changes.” Ozpin stated.

“Okay, that wasn’t-“ Yang wanted to argue before Glynda slapped her riding crop on the table.

“While I may disagree with Professor Ozpin, I trust his judgement and you should too.” Goodwitch said. “Frankly, you would’ve gotten harsher punishments if it were me. Are we clear?”

Well, it was this, jail or expulsion.

“Yes, Headmaster.” The RWBYs sighed in unison.

“Good. Now you are all free to go back to your dorm.” Ozpin said as he stood up as he and Glynda started to leave the room.

“Um... aren’t you gonna unlock our cuffs?” Yang asked. Ozpin turned his head and gave the team an amused smirk.

“Why bother? You’ve already gotten out of them by now.” The Headmaster pointed out as he closed the door behind him.

“He knew?” Weiss got out in disbelief as she rubbed her wrists. She unlocked her handcuffs by using a combination of wind magic and her glyphs to push the pins and turn the lock.

“That’s Ozpin for ya. Nothing really gets past him most of the time.” Yang replied as she tried to hide the shattered remains of her handcuffs.

“Just be relieved he actually bought it.” Blake said, glancing up to make sure the camera was off before hiding her lockpicking kit in her shoes. “Hey, Ruby, you okay?”

“Give me a sec! Come on! Come on!” Ruby growled while on the ground next to her tipped over chair, slowly pulling her legs under her arms. “Almost got it! Ugh, I can’t see because of my boobs!”

“I got it.” Yang said as she destroyed Ruby’s handcuffs. “There. Next time, ask for help when your big sis to.”

“I would’ve gotten out them eventually.” Ruby grumbled with a cute pout. Yang just laughed at her cute face. “Hey! Anyways, we should find the others before we head to Beacon. I wanna give them the tour.”

“Or, we can get a head start on our training for the next tournament.” Weiss suggested, which was promptly ignored.

“And we may as well enjoy all the free time we have now.” Blake pointed out. “I really need to catch up on the books I left at Beacon.”

“Speaking of stories, where did the whole experimentation thing come from?” Yang asked.

“From one of the manga I bought while on Earth.” Blake answered before sighing. “Still can’t believe we managed to convince him.”

“Well, let’s not worry about it now. Let’s find Issei and the others and show them the wonderful world of Remnant!” Ruby declared as she and her servants dashed out of the police station, going past Ozpin and Glynda on their way out.

“...You do realise I don’t believe a single word that came out of their mouths, right?” Glynda admitted as Ozpin refilled his mug. “Something else happened to them, and I want to know why.”

“Please, Miss Goodwitch. Relax and allow them to keep it to themselves. There are some things the world is not ready for.” Ozpin said as he took a sip of his coffee.

Glynda couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Of course he knew the truth, but was keeping it from her.

God, she could use a drink right now.

(A few minutes later...)

It was a peaceful day in Vale. People were still dealing with the consequences of the Breach, but life still went on even in darkest of moment. Raven couldn’t help but feel disgusted. It was almost like nothing happened since then. Only the one who lost someone or saw death for the first time were the only ones who cared enough to remember it.

And it all fun and games until someone screams-

“THEY HAVE HOLOGRAPHIC STREET LIGHTS!” Issei shouted out, causing the public around him to all at the Perverted Pawn weirdly. Rias and her peerage had switched out of their uniforms and into more plain-looking clothes, making sure they wouldn’t stand out too much. “That means personal holographic girls! Hatsune Miku pole dancing, here I come!”

**_WHAM!_ **

“Shut up.” Koneko sighed out as Issei crumpled to the ground, clutching onto his hip.

“Y-You realise I’m right here.” Rias deadpanned, shaking her head at her Pawn’s antics.

“Thank you.” Raven breathed a sigh of relief. ‘This has to be karma for Yang. I am _not_ great with children.’ She mentally groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

“You know, this place is a little underwhelming I have to admit.” Akeno admitted while looking around the Commercial District. “I mean, there’s a lot of technology you’d never see on Earth but it’s not as different as I was expecting.”

“Hm, there is a lot of construction though in this area.” Kiba noted. “It looks like there was an attack here.”

“There was.” Penny solemnly spoke up. “Quite recently, there was breach caused by an anti-human extremist group (the White Fang) that brought Grimm into the city using abandoned underground tunnels. Note: Team RWBY was there when it happened, after failing to stop the train in the first place.”

“Speaking of them, maybe we should head for the police station.” Kiba suggested. “I’m afraid they might still be in jail if they haven’t managed to leave yet.”

“They’ll be fine. I’m sure they can find us.” Raven said.

“You don’t know where the police station is, do you?” Rias deadpanned.

“It’s been a years, okay!” Raven snapped as she sat on a nearby bench. “I haven’t been here in a while! Plus, my favourite bakery is under-construction so I’m a little ticked off right now. We’ll go find them soon, but please leave me alone. It’s been a very, _very_ long couple of days.”

“Mother of the Year, right here.” Yang spoke up in a sarcastic tone as Team RWBY walked up to the group. There was genuine anger in her tone. Just because they’ve gotten closer, doesn’t mean she hasn’t forgiven her.

“Oh, you’re back!” Issei said as he picked himself off the ground. “So, is uh... everything taken care of? Are you in trouble?”

“If you mean we’re not going to jail, no, we’re good.” Ruby replied. “So, what have you guys been doing while we were away?”

“Just exploring the town. I mean... you have holographic streetlights!” Issei answered.

“You’re impressed by that?” Blake deadpanned. “Out of all things, you’re impressed by _that_?”

“Well, that has to be more complicated than setting up a real streetlight.” Rias admitted. “Although, it would make decorating the town for holidays rather convenient.”

“Can we please head back to Beacon?” Weiss asked in a tired voice. “I just wanna go and sleep in a familiar bed and forget about the last few weeks.”

“It would be nice to see Beacon again.” Ruby admitted. “Alright, let’s go back. You guys gonna come with?”

“You betcha!” Issei automatically replied, eager to see the types of girls there. Maybe they had a peephole he could use while he was here!

“Well, looks like everyone’s eager to see Beacon.” Rias stated as the others walked up to them.

“Not me.” Raven spoke up. “I’ll probably come tomorrow though. I need to find a place to stay for while and I doubt the school will like a notorious bandit crashing in one of their dorms.”

“Speaking of which, we need a place to stay too.” Kiba said.

“Pancakes can stay at our dorm. I think we have a spare blanket and pillow.” Weiss said. Pancakes nodded, though a nice spot of soft floor would suffice for her. “And maybe Rias and her peerage can pass off as students from a different school since they’re visiting Beacon for the tournament. Just say you’re late arrivals from Shade Academy. I’m sure there’s a few spare dorms you can stay in for the time being.”

“They’ll need fake Student IDs though.” Blake pointed out.

“Don’t need to. A little bit of memory modification should suffice.” Rias replied with a smirk. “A necessary evil unless we want sleep on the streets.”

“Or we can stay where Branwen-san goes.” Issei suggested, their collective gazes turning to the oldest person in their group.

“No.” Raven said automatically in a flat tone.

“Yeah, wasn’t expecting you to.” Yang muttered out.

“Well, we better get going now before the sun starts to set and the last Bullhead leaves.” Ruby said.

“Bullhead?” Issei repeated.

“The fastest way from Vale to Beacon. Now hurry up, we’re wasting time.” Weiss answered before taking in a deep breath. “You know what; it’s good to be home.” She admitted with a smile on her face.

“You miss this place after a while.” Blake breathed, taking in the air.

“Even if it’s an entire world, it’s good to be back.” Ruby stated as she looked up at the sky.

“You said it, Rubles.” Yang agreed with a grin as they made their way to Beacon. “Welcome home.”

(Some time later...)

“Man, when are they gonna get back?” Jaune mumbled under his breath, he and his team waiting for the next Bullhead to arrive. After a tough training session, they decided to rewards themselves with a dinner in the city.

“Are you talking about Team RWBY or the Bullheads?” Nora asked, starting to feel her stomach grumble. She literally (figuratively) dying of hunger here!

“I’m sure he’s talking Team RWBY.” Pyrrha spoke up. “They have been away for a while and lately things have felt... different since they left.”

“No, I’m pretty sure he was talking about both.” Ren said with a sigh. “You guys are just missing them. They’re going to come back.”

“Yeah, we know, but Beacon still feels a little weird without them around.” Nora admitted before hearing distant engines. “Hey, the Bullheads are coming. I am _so_ ordering the filet mignon!”

“Nora, we’re going to Olivia’s Garden.” Jaune pointed out.

“What!? Olivia’s Garden sucks! I’d rather to Red Lobsta! Their cheddar biscuits are awesome.” Nora complained before pouting.

“Huh? No! Olivia’s Garden breadsticks are better than Lobsta cheddar biscuits!” Jaune called out.

“Hahaha! Oh, that’s a good joke, Jaune. Oh wow, you are such a jokester!” Nora laughed out as she wiped away tear before looking serious. “We’re going to Red Lobsta or break your knees.”

“It was worth it last time. Wanna try again, Valkyrie?” Jaune challenged as sparks flew between them.

 “Oh no.” Pyrrha and Ren groaned in unison.

“Hey Pyrrha, Ren. Nora and Jaune having the cheddar sticks argument again?” the leader of team RWBY asked as she walked up to the JNPRs to see the commotion.

“Yeah, looks like it Ruby.” Pyrrha sighed out. “Looks like we’re gonna have to stop by two restaurants tonight.”

She then blinked and realised who she was talking to.

“R-Ruby!?” Pyrrha exclaimed as she looked at the older, bustier-looking Red Reaper and stumbled back a little. “R-Ruby, you’ve... you’ve... you’re back!”

“Er... yep! We kinda are, aren’t we?” Ruby chuckled out with a small blush on her face. She had told Akeno to not cast an illusion over the team. It was going to be too much of a hassle to deal with when the illusion eventually dissipates and just wanted to get it out of the way rather than deal with all the shock and stuff in the future.

“Sup, guys! How’s it been since we left?” Yang greeted at the rest of Team RWBY, as well as a few new faces came with them. Penny had to go and do business with her creator and team but promised to meet again tomorrow.

“Huh?” Jaune and Nora paused their argument to turn to see that the team they’ve been talking about earlier had arrived.

“Wow, I knew Ruby’s Xiao Long genes would kick in eventually but... now I’m wondering how young Yang was when it kicked in.” Nora mumbled out.

“Hey! We missed you...” Jaune called out as he ran up to the group before trailing off as he started to stare at... Ruby’s new assets.

“Okay! We get it! Ruby had a growth spurt! Back off!” Yang called out.

“But uh... that’s more than a...” Pyrrha started to speak only to be interrupted.

“It’s classified. All you need to know is that it’s a result of our mission.” Blake stated with a small glare, telling them to drop it.

All the JNPRs knew about Team RWBY’s mission and everything related to it was that it was top secret so they had no choice but to let go of all the questions about Ruby’s new height, waist and bust.

“And I started using makeup on my scar. Okay, good. Sleep.” Weiss quickly said as she walked by, only to be pulled to the group by Yang.

“Oh no Princess, we just got back. Can’t you spare a few minutes to talk with some friends and introduce ‘em to our new ones?” Yang said with a smile.

“I guess that’s our cue.” Rias spoke up as she stepped forward and pulled out her hand. “Hello, we’re from Shade Academy. We met these girls earlier today. I’m Rias Gremory.”

“Pyrrha Nikos. A pleasure to meet you.” Pyrrha replied as she shook the Gremory King’s hand.

“Lie Ren. Nice to meet you too but... I don’t think I’ve seen you anywhere.” Ren stated as he narrowed his eyes. He would’ve definitely recognised her on campus, as well as every single person that even had the slightest attraction to girls.

Plus, with the red hair and similar-coloured eyes, she could probably pass off as a relative to Pyrrha. And that wouldn’t have gone unnoticed.

Even the Champion herself was squinting at the sight of the girl. It was rather odd.

“We got caught up in personal matters and were unable to come right away, but we’re here now.” Rias replied before glancing to her peerage (and Pancakes). “And this... is...”

“Why... are there _two of them!?_ ” Issei growled out, glaring at the Prince and the Knight with equal hate. “Seriously, you have your own damn Prince here!?”

The RWBYs and Nora couldn’t help but snort or laugh at that statement.

“Hey!” Jaune called out before sighing. “Though you can’t exactly disagree.” He mumbled under his breath. “The name’s Jaune Arc. Rolls off the tongue and the ladies love it.” He said while winking at a group of girls passing by.

Who promptly froze then ran away.

‘I’m getting the feeling he’ll get along with Issei-kun.’ Kiba thought with a chuckle.

‘Damn him! He has a better reputation than me!’ Issei mentally fumed before thinking. ‘Though, I have to admit that’s not much of a feat. But I think it’s getting a little better though.’

It was not. Moving on.

“Well, Jaune-kun, my name is Kiba Yuuto. And this here is my friend, Issei Hyoudou.” Kiba introduced as he pulled Issei closer by the shoulder.

“I can introduce myself!” Issei complained.

“I’m Akeno Himejima. Please take care of me.” Akeno said with a bow.

The JNPRs only looked at the dark-haired girl in confusion.

“What?” Jaune got out.

“I-It’s a saying from where she was born.” Blake quickly explained. “It means to both please and thank you. It's used to make a request and also to thank the person, either before or after they do it for you.”

“I... haven’t heard of that before.” Nora admitted. “But hey, you learn something new every day. The name’s Nora Valkyrie.”

“Koneko Toujou.” Koneko simply said as she licked her ice-cream.

“Aw... You look so cute and small. How can you be a Huntress?” Nora cooed as she looked down at Koneko. “You’re more like a cute little kitty than a-ACK!” She then screamed out in pain as Koneko stuffed her fist into her gut.

“I’m not... small.” Koneko said in a flat tone before taking her fist out, allowing Nora to collapse onto the ground.

“Nora!” Jaune called out concern as Ren helped the Pink Bomber to her feet. “Are you alright!?”

“Urgh...” Nora groaned in pain. “Stomach. Eating itself. Punch. Less painful. Than empty stomach.”

“She’s okay.” Ren deadpanned.

Ruby then coughed, getting everyone’s attention as the Royal Pawn pushed the resident Fallen Angel forward. “And this, um... well... Just introduce yourself.” Ruby sighed out.

“My name is Pancakes.” Pancakes introduced herself in her usual empty and dull tone. Jaune, Pyrrha and Ren were a little weirded out by the girl. Her eyes were soulless and her voice lacked life.

However, Nora ignored all that and only responded to one single thing.

“Excuse me.” Nora got out, her pain forgotten.

“My name is Pancakes.” Pancakes repeated in the same tone as before.

“... _Excuse me?_ ” Nora got out in disbelief.

“My name is Pancakes.” Pancakes said once again.

“H-Her real name is Pan Cagayake but she goes by Pancakes.” Blake explained.

“She’s... a little peculiar but she’s... um...” Ruby tried to figure out something that would make Pancakes seem... appealing, however Nora beat her to it and grabbed Pancakes by the shoulders.

“Your name is Pancakes.” Nora said.

“My name is Pancakes.” Pancakes said.

“Your _name_ is Pancakes.” Nora said, getting excited.

“My name is Pancakes.” Pancakes said.

“Can... Can you make pancakes, Pancakes?” Nora asked with hope in her tone.

Pancakes only blinked at her.

“Close enough to a yes, new best friend!” Nora cheered out as she hugged the girl in the tightest grip she could muster.

“Oh dear Lord...” Ren groaned, causing the Devils to hide their sudden headaches.

“Well, it was very nice to meet you all and see you all get along but it’s been a tough past few days so I’m going back to the dorm to sleep.” Weiss said as she started to walk off.

“Oh, hey, wait! You seem kinda tired, u-uh well, you did admit you’re already tired and I-I just wanted to-“ Jaune tried to talk but his own nervousness was causing him to mess up.

“Jaune, this not a good time to ask for a date.” Weiss growled. “Besides, you have a tournament to train for. Your teammates are relying on you and you can’t let them down.”

“Yeah, wait no but uh...” Jaune tried to think of something to fix the situation only for Weiss to stomp her foot.

“For the millionth time, **no!** ” Weiss shouted out. She was close to her breaking point and it hasn’t even been a day since they arrived at Remnant. She wanted to forget all this Devil shit for at least a few hours and relax. They had already lost their place in the tournament, became denizens of Hell and were going to have to lie for the rest of their lives.

She did _not_ want to deal with this right now.

Meanwhile, Jaune winced. All he wanted to do was invite Weiss to dinner with his team. He didn’t bother to invite the rest since they only had enough for one extra person and well, he kinda wanted to fix their relationship. Sure, he had a major crush on her for a while but after the dance he let it go, preferring to have her as a friend. Though, thanks to his advances she generally avoided him nowadays, automatically assuming that he was going as her out.

He gave up on having her as a girlfriend, but he could at least try to be her friend.

‘This is so stupid. Why won’t he give up?’ Weiss mentally deadpanned as the others just grimaced at the two. ‘This is just pathetic. I just want go to the death trap that’s waiting to happen that I call my bed and go the hell to sleep. Doesn’t he realise he doesn’t even stand a chance in the first place!? Father’s probably going to flick him away like a fly. Probably give him a restraining order; maybe give me a bodyguard at all times. Plus there’s always...’ She then glanced at Pyrrha, who looked a little depressed. ‘You know what, I’m going to do Pyrrha a favour... _and crush his heart_. Oh Hell, I think Akeno is rubbing off on me because I’m actually looking forward to it.’

“Are you going to leave me alone unless necessary?” Weiss asked in a flat tone.

“Huh? What?” Jaune dumbly got out.

“Say yes before I stab you in the foot.” Weiss growled.

“...Yes...?” Jaune replied with a confused yet scared look on his face.

“Fine. Let’s go out.” The Heiress said with an eye roll and a sigh.

**_SHATTER!_ **

“For fuck’s sake, Garasu! This isn’t fucking amateur hour, you dumb fucking cockbite! Fuckin’ balls!” A glass replacement man yelled at his partner after dropping at least 10 panes of glass. “THIS IS WHY MEINU LEFT YOU!”

Jaune looked even more confused while ignoring the distant sounds a man being attacked by someone using shattered glass as a weapon. “...What?” Jaune said once again.

“She said yes.” Ren pointed out, his jaw thoroughly on the floor.

“Yeah, I know but...“ Jaune then paused as he flashbacked to the last three seconds just to make sure it was real. “...What...?”

“I’ll go on a date with you so you’ll finally leave me alone. This weekend or whatever. I don’t care. Just don’t be late.” Weiss grunted as she stomped away from the group, not noticing that she was stomping _away_ from the dorms.

“...Did Weiss just ask me out?” Jaune muttered to himself.

Then it really hit him.

He had a date with Weiss Schnee.

_He had a date with Weiss Schnee._

Jaune Arc, the worst of the worst, the unluckiest man in Beacon, the Dork Knight, the Vomit Boy.

Had a **date.**

“Okay.” Jaune got out before shaking his head before smiling. Okay, maybe that crush wasn’t gone but he wasn’t going to turn down his first date. “Okay! I’ll call you when everything’s ready!”

Jaune couldn’t hear what Weiss said in response but he was pretty it wasn’t anything nice. Still, he had a chance. And that was all he needed.

“I’m gonna go and uh... Yeah I’m just gonna go.” Jaune said as he ran off, kicking his heels together on the way back to the dorm, leaving behind the frozen bodies of his teammates and friends.

“W-Weiss!?” Ruby exclaimed, wondering if Weiss knew the consequences of her actions.

“Weiss... what have you done...” Blake whispered out.

“Oh no.” Rias said simply with a wince.

“This might go badly.” Akeno muttered out.

“Schnee-chan, do you have any idea how much you hurt such a close friend?” Kiba mumbled out quietly.

“...” Koneko only grimaced in silence. The Spartan’s crush on the Blonde Knight was extremely obvious.

“Did that just happen!? Did that really just happen!?” Yang got out in disbelief. This was a dream. This had to be a dream.

“P-Pyrrha...” Nora whispered out in concern, her heart aching for the Heartbroken Champion.

“A... A... A...” Pyrrha choked out, her left eye twitching as tears started to well up in her eyes.

“Something tells me that was a bad idea.” Issei admitted before wincing as Yang slapped him in the back of the head.

“Although you have not commanded, I will do my best to ensure that Weiss-sama will-MMPH!” Pancakes started to say, only for Blake to cover her mouth.

“Pyrrha... I...” Nora went over to comfort the girl, reaching out only for her hand pushed away. Pyrrha barely glanced at them before drifting away towards... somewhere. Just not here. “Pyrrha! Wait! Um, Pancakes, come with me! She’s going to need the comfort food.” She said as she dashed off to chase her friend.

Pancakes remained silent and unmoving, only looking at the Pink Bomber in confusion.

“I will only act when my Mistre-“ Pancakes started, only to be interrupted.

“Pancakes. Follow Nora and do what she just asked of you before.” Ruby ordered without a second thought.

“Yes, of course, Ruby-sama.” Pancakes responded with a bow before following the two girls of JNPR.

“...I’m gonna go and beat some sense into Miss Heartbreaker.” Yang growled as she her fully-covered leather gloves before chasing after the Heiress.

“Not even a day.” Blake sighed out as chased after Yang, aiming to stop her from killing the Bishop.

“Well... we’re just gonna find someone from staff and get a dorm assigned to us.” Rias said, feeling awkward right now. “We’ll see you tomorrow for the tour.”

“Yeah, see you.” Ruby mumbled out.

“I’m gonna go to back to the dorm. Looks like dinner’s cancelled.” Ren said before hugging Ruby. “It’s good to see you back.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” Ruby sighed out as Ren left her alone, standing in the courtyard before collapsing onto the ground. “Welcome back, Ruby Rose.” She whispered out as she closed her eyes.

“What? You didn’t have a welcome back party?” A familiar voice asked, causing Ruby to open her eyes.

“DAD!?” Ruby exclaimed as she quickly got up before covering herself. “I-D-D-D-GROWTH SPURT!” She shouted out before coughing. “I-I mean... why are you here...?”

“What? I can’t see my own daughter?” Taiyang chuckled out as he hugged the Red Reaper. “You’ve grown a lot since you came to Beacon, huh?”

“Do you mean mentally or physically?” Ruby questioned.

“A little bit of both but uh... you’re not dating anyone, are you?” Taiyang asked, narrowing his eyes.

“What!? No!” Ruby quickly responded while flailing her arms around. “I came to Beacon to be a Huntress! Not get a boyfriend!”

“Or a girlfriend. I won’t mind.” Taiyang said, causing Ruby to blush, remembering that night with Rias... the night before meeting Raiser. “But, um... it’s been a long time since you...”

“Hm?” Ruby looked confused before eyes widened. “O-Oh... yeah... It has been, hasn’t it? I forgot. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Just...” Taiyang sighed out. “I’ll take you there, if you want to.”

Ruby didn’t have to think about it.

She nodded.

(The next day...)

Patch. Where legends were born and laid to rest.

The weather was nice on the cliff. The sun was just rising and there was a pleasant breeze Ruby could feel as she walked up to the sole grave at the edge of the cliff.

“I'll not leave thee, thou lone one. To pine on the stem; since the lovely are sleeping, go, sleep thou with them. Thus kindly I scatter, thy leaves o'er the bed, where thy mates of the garden lie scentless and dead.” Ruby whispered out.

One more look back to make sure she was alone before she started to speak to the woman she loved so much, yet couldn’t even remember her face.

“Hey mum. It’s been a while since I’ve come here, huh.” Ruby whispered to the grave in front of her, pulling down her hood. “I... I look really different, don’t I? I kinda had a growth spurt over the last few weeks among... other things. Yeah, things have been... well, things have been pretty crazy. Criminal organisations, other worlds... arranged marriages. Oh, Dad's here, too! He's, uh, you know... Dad.” Ruby then shrugged. “He's still teaching at Signal. But he told me that he's going to be on some mission soon. I think he misses adventuring with you. I miss you too.”

“Haven't gotten kicked out of Beacon yet! Kinda got close one time but I’m still there. I think being on a team with Yang helps. Keep her in line... That was a joke.” Ruby said awkwardly. “She's actually a really great fighter! You can tell she's learned a lot from Dad! Oh, so are Weiss and Blake. Oh! They're my teammates! Together, we form Team RWBY! And yes, before you ask, that does cause a lot of confusion. Anyways, I made a bunch of new friends, and then I met some... let's just say, uh,  _odd_  teachers. Oh! We've also stopped some bad guys, too! I guess it's like they say: like mother, like daughter! I still wonder why Ozpin let me into the school early. But uh, I guess he'll tell me one day. You know how he is. It's funny, the more I get to know him, the more he's starting to sound like Uncle Qrow.”

That reminded Ruby. Uncle Qrow hasn’t seen her in her new body and Raven was in Vale right now. That was going to be a thing if he did come to visit.

“Oh! Speaking of new friends, I went to a new world and made some there too!” Ruby said excitededly.   
“It was... nice over there in Japan. It was so different from here yet pretty similar. I wish you could’ve been there. And hey, they’re here now and they seem really excited to see Remnant for all its worth. S-Sure, it wasn’t under the best of circumstances but...”

Ruby trailed off before sighing. She didn’t want to lie to mum, no matter how big the secret was. She couldn’t in good conscious. Swallowing some spit, she began to speak again.

“Can you keep secret? I’m... sort of a _not human_ now. I’m... I’m kind of a Devil now. I’m still the little girl you know, just with... lots of additions. And there’s thing called the Evil Piece system, which allows you to have servants, well not actually _servants_ but more like teammates, or like... chess pieces... and I’m the King of my own peerage.” Ruby admitted, looking down at her feet. “Yang’s in it, Weiss and Blake are in it, a girl named Penny, Raven and... Pancakes. Yeah, there’s a story there but maybe that’s for another time. She makes really good pancakes though! Maybe I’ll leave you some next time. Nora... Nora has her pretty busy right now. For selfish and selfless reasons.”

She turned around and saw that her dad and Zwei were back. That meant that she was out of time.

“Oh! Looks like Dad's back! I gotta go! He's dropping me off at Beacon before he goes on his next mission. I can’t participate this year but I’m gonna cheer for everyone that can!” She declared as put the hood back on. She started to walk away, but stopped. She then turned to her mother a smile on her face _. “_ It was really nice talking to you. Goodbye, mum. I love you.”

“So, how was the talk?” Taiyang asked as they started heading back home.

“...Good.” Ruby simply replied. “I needed that. I miss so much.”

“I do too but... We all have to move on, right?” Her father said, looking up at the sky. He had a feeling that Summer was watching over them.

“Yeah. Move on.” Ruby muttered her breath.

_My end is your beginning…_

_I know… I wasn’t there for you… when you needed me most but just know…_

_You don’t need me anymore…_

_I’m so proud of what you’ve become without me… And I’m sure you’ll never cease to make me happy I was there for you… even if I wasn’t in your life for very long…_

_Ruby… please…_

_Ruby…!_

“Ruby!” Taiyang called out, getting his daughter’s attention. “Hurry up! I’m sure you want to get to Beacon before the first match, right?”

“Right!” Ruby replied with a nod before catching up, a bright smile on her face. “These next few days are gonna be awesome!” She cheered out.

(A few hours later...)

“Ladies and gentlemen! Our next team to come onto the field is... Rias Gremory, Issei Hyoudou, Akeno Himejima and Sora Nai! From Shade Academy, put your hands together for Team RIAS!” Professor Port announced. “Now, isn’t that a coincidence that their team name is the same as their leader’s name?”

“Right you are! And each of them has rather unique Semblances that could allow for some real off-the-wall strategies!” Oobleck replied as their pictures and some information about the team appeared on the big screen.

**Shade Academy—Team RIAS:**

**Rias Gremory**  
Semblance: Power of Destruction  
Weapon: Devil Trigger  & Dragon’s Breath

 **Issei Hyoudou**  
Semblance: Dress Break  
Weapon: Boosted Gear

 **Akeno Himejima**  
Semblance: Flight  
Weapon: S  & M

 **Sora Nai**  
Semblance: Sword Birth  
Weapon: None

“You put that... that _technique_ from the Rating Games as your Semblance!?” Rias yelled at her Pawn in disbelief, who cowered at her angry gaze.

“It does represent Issei rather well...” Kiba, well _Sora_ chuckled out. He was the one who volunteered to put down a different name so they could have their team name be RIAS.

“Fufufu, you aren’t holding back, are you Issei-kun.” Akeno giggled out as she tightened her fingerless gloves with vials of Dust on the cuffs. They were just there to hide the fact that she used actual magic.

“Uh... Well, we all agreed to have fun while we’re here, right?” Issei pointed out before giving them a determined expression. “This is our day so let’s have some fun! Go Team RIAS!” He declared as he raised his Sacred Gear into the air, causing the crowd to go wild.

“These next few days are gonna be awesome!” Yang cheered out as her teammates her stared at the battlefield.


End file.
